 "Porgy" was one of a number of works portraying black life written by white authors, but it was infused with human understanding at a time that such an approach was new.Heyward's wife, playwright Dorothy Heyward, roughed out a stage adaptation of the novel that persuaded her husband of the story's dramatic possibilities.They wrote the play together, strengthening the character of Bess, incorporating folk songs, and creating a more upbeat ending that shows Porgy following Bess to New York.