Racism is the most ubiquitous theme present in Native Son because it was written in a time when racial inequality was pervasive in everyday life. There was a large disparity in wealth between whites and blacks simply because whites were given more opportunity in the middle and upper class job section around the country, especially Chicago. The large disparity in wealth is best exemplified when Bigger first walks into the white society where:
“He had not expected anything like this; he had not thought that this world would be so utterly different from his own that it would intimidate him. On the smooth walls were several paintings whose nature he tried to make out, but failed. He would have liked to examine them, but he dared not. Then he listened; a faint sound of piano music floated to him from somewhere. He was sitting in a white world; dim lights burned around him; strange objects challenged him, and he was feeling very angry and uncomfortable.” (Wright 46).
The intense racism of the white society on the African Americans has caused Bigger to act immorally and irrationally as a result of fear. The immoral and irrational behavior that is caused by racism is best shown by “His crime felt natural; he felt that all of his life had been leading to something like this. It was no longer a matter of dumb wonder as to what would happen to him and his black skin; he knew now. The hidden meaning of life - a meaning which others did not see and which he had always tried to hide - had spilled out.” (Wright 106).
Bigger felt that his crime was justified because murder is an inevitable event that all his life has been leading to. His life has been filled with unjust racism towards blacks, so he felt justified that the killing of a white...
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...d by an irrationally racist society.
Works Cited
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Faulkner, Howard, and Theresa L. Stowell. "Richard Wright." Critical Survey Of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition (2010): 1-9. Literary Reference Center. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
Reed, Anthony. "Another Map Of The South Side": "Native Son" As Postcolonial Novel." African American Review 45.4 (2012): 603-615. Literary Reference Center. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
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Wright, Richard. Native Son. New York: Harper & Bros., 1940. Print.
The hypocrisy and double standard that allowed whites to bring harm to blacks without fear of any repercussions had existed for years before the murder Tyson wrote about occurred in May of 1970 (Tyson 2004, 1). Lynching of black men was common place in the south as Billie Holiday sang her song “Strange Fruit” and the eyes of justice looked the other way. On the other side of the coin, justice was brought swiftly to those blacks who stepped out of line and brought harm to the white race. Take for instance Nate Turner, the slave who led a rebellion against whites. Even the Teel’s brought their own form of justice to Henry Marrow because he “said something” to one of their white wives (1).
Connell, Barry O'., Dictionary of Literary Biography, Native American Writers of the United States. Ed. Kenneth M. Roemer. Vol. 175. Detroit. Gale Research Co., 1997.
Harmon, William, William Flint Thrall, Addison Hibbard, and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 2189.
Tanner, Laura E. "Uncovering the Magical Disguise of Language: The Narrative Presence in Richard Wright's Native Son." Appiah 132-146.
Baldwin, James. “Notes of a Native Son.” 1955. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 63-84.
James Baldwin's "Notes of a Native Son" demonstrates his complex and unique relationship with his father. Baldwin's relationship with his father is very similar to most father-son relationships but the effect of racial discrimination on the lives of both, (the father and the son) makes it distinctive. At the outset, Baldwin accepts the fact that his father was only trying to look out for him, but deep down, he cannot help but feel that his father was imposing his thoughts and experiences on him. Baldwin's depiction of his relationship with his father while he was alive is full of loathing and detest for him and his ideologies, but as he matures, he discovers his father in himself. His father's hatred in relation to the white American society had filled him with hatred towards his father. He realizes that the hatred inside both of them has disrupted their lives.
“What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” by Sherman Alexie gives readers a look at the life of homeless, easygoing, middle aged Native American, Jackson Jackson. The story, which is set in Seattle, describes the conditions that Jackson finds himself in. Alexie’s choice of motifs emphasizes the significance of cultural and historical references. With these concepts in mind, the reader is taken through a journey of self-realization. “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” narrates the internal struggle Jackson feels trying to figure out his personal identity as a Native American. The story chronicles situations that illustrate the common stereotypes about Natives. Through Jackson’s humble personality, the reader can grasp his
With the exception of the last paragraph, you never see a paragraph in “Notes of a Native Son” which offers only analysis. The majority of the time, Baldwin will either start ...
The story chronicles situations that illustrate the common stereotypes about Natives. Through Jackson’s humble personality, the reader can grasp his true feelings towards White people, which is based off of the oppression of Native Americans. I need to win it back myself” (14). Jackson also mentions to the cop, “I’m on a mission here. I want to be a hero” (24).
In Book 3, “Fate”, Bigger is now convinced that he is going to die for the crimes he have committed. “They don’t give black people a chance, so I took a chance and lost. But I don’t care none now. They got me and it’s all over.” (pg. 356) This book reveals Bigger’s realization of what he has done and how it will affect him. We find out that he is sentenced to death and he will not live for long. For some odd reason, Bigger has a sense of satisfaction and security knowing that he will die. “Aw, I reckon I believe in myself…. I ain’t got nothing else…. I got to die….” (pg. 428).
Garbett, Ann D. “Sharon Olds” Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition. Salem Press, Inc., (2007): n. pag. Literary Reference Center Plus. Web. 09 Oct. 2009.
Chesnutt, Charles. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Eighth Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company Inc, 2012. 699-706. Print.
In the novel the Native Son, the author Richard Wright explores racism and oppression in American society. Wright skillfully merges his narrative voice into Bigger Thomas so that the reader can also feel how the pressure and racism affects the feelings, thoughts, self-image, and life of a Negro person. Bigger is a tragic product of American imperialism and exploitation in a modern world. Bigger embodies one of humankind’s greatest tragedies of how mass oppression permeates all aspects of the lives of the oppressed and the oppressor, creating a world of misunderstanding, ignorance, and suffering.
Second, Reese states, “Native characters are portrayed as members of contemporary society who engage in the same activities mainstream Americans do (Reese 254).” Alexie’s writing strongly displays this characteristic throughout the text. Alexie best