Native Son by Richard Wright Essay

Ric exhausting W function was determined to crop a profound narration. In his invigorated, autochthonal Son, he endeavors to present the horror of Negro demeanor in the United States (Wright xxxiii). By addressing such(prenominal) a signifi scum bagt topic, he desire to write a book that no one would weep over that would be so hard and deep that they would ware to face it without the consolation of tears (xxvii). Native Son is a commentary on the poverty and helplessness experienced by filthys in America, and it illustrates the abhorrent ways that melanizes were treated, describes their flagitious living conditions and c every(prenominal)s financial aid to the half-hearted efforts offered by uninfected empathizers. Told from the perspective of his character big Thomas, Wright crafts a story depicting the oppressive lives endured by Negroes and makes it so despicable that it grabs the attention of the reviewer and forces him to reevaluate the state of society. There is such(prenominal) in this novel that would cause a reader to cry, but, to Wrights point, the topic is so significant that it resonates more deeply and elicits a deeper response.bigger Thomas is the protagonist of the novel, but, to Wright, big also exemplifies African Americans of the clock duration. He is unbosom educated, struggling to find meaningful civilise and living in an overcrowded slum with his family notwithstanding like m whatsoever others around him. big is frustrated with his place in intuitive feeling and finds it difficult to netherstand why the opportunities that argon easy to washcloths are not available to him. During an exchange with his friend Gus, large exclaims, Goddammit, look We live here and they live there. We black and they white. They got things and we aint. They do things and we cant. Its like living in jailhouse (23).bigger and Gus have no outlet to express their individuality or emotions. Their feelings towards whites are ingrained in them. big states, Whites live right down here in my raiseEvery time I withdraw of em, I feel emIts like fireThats when I feel like something abominablys way out to happen to meNaw it aint like something going to happen to me. ItsIts like I was going to do something I cant help (24). This statement iterates how the everyday black man feels near his station in life and the opportunities available to him. Additionally, it foreshadows the heinous events that exit unfold later in the novel.A turning point in Wrights story come ons when larger is offered a traffic as a chauffeur for the Dalton family. Mr. Dalton is a white real estate exponent that prides himself for being a member of the NAACP. He employs young black men in an attempt to rehabilitate them. On the surface, this is an holy person opportunity for large because it provides room and bill and pays well enough to allow him to take care of his mother and siblings, but Wright is looking at to emphasize how the tri vial the actions taken by the white sympathizers do not truly address the challenges faced by the African American population. large is not overwhelmed by this opportunity or impressed that the outlast chauffeur had gone to night school. Moreover, this romp ultimately places large in a situation that he cannot control, and he by chance smothers Daltons daughter, Mary. larger fetchs, Though he had killed by accident, not once did he feel the need to tell himself that it had been an accident. He was black and he had been alone in a room where a white girl had been killed therefore he had killed her (101). This is the awful event that Bigger alluded to earlier in the story.Killing Mary elicits feelings in Bigger that he had never experienced before. Bigger acknowledges, He was more alive than he could ever remember having been his mind and attention were pointed, focused toward a goal (141). Bigger embraced these feelings and continued with a scheme to make everyone believe that Mary had been kidnapped. With the assistance of his girlfriend Bessie, he plans to escape with $10,000 in change money. Wright uses Biggers emotions and his heightened sense of consciousness at this point in the novel to comment on society at the time. Wright is stating that the act of discharge is one of the exclusively ways for young African American men to express themselves, to exert any independence and to get out from under the oppression of their daily life.When the authorities realize that Bigger is the killer he flees to fend off being captured, but he realizes that all his life he had been knowing that in the beginning or later something like this would come to him (207). Survival becomes paramount to Bigger, escaping the law is his completely priority, and Bessie becomes a liability. While attempting to hide from the police, Bigger realizes that it will be easier to escape without traveling with Bessie. In a tense scene, Bigger first rapes Bessie, lets her fall to sleep and in the end bludgeons her. His actions are methodical ashe lifted the brick again and again, until in fall it struck a sodden atomic pile that gave softly but stoutly to from each one landing blow. Soon he seemed to be striking a wet the great unwashed of cotton, of some damp substance whose wholly life was the jarring of the bricks reach (222). Ultimately this second murder is unnecessary, as Bigger is soon apprehended.Bigger is arrested and indicted for the murder of Mary Dalton, and the character that Wright chooses to defend him is a white, Jewish attorney, named Boris scoop. In the novel, gook takes the time to talk to Bigger and discover the actions in his life that have influenced him. For the first time in his life, Bigger has someone provoke in his thoughts and feelings, which result in Bigger beginning finding hope. Max does his beat out to motivate Bigger to fight to save his own life. Max pleads, Listen Bigger, youre facing a sea of detest now th ats no diverse than what youve faced all your life. And, because its that way, youve got to fight.If they can cross you out, then they can wipe others out too (320). Throughout this partitioning of the book Bigger undergoes a trans divisionation. By explaining his actions and feelings to Max, he finally emerges from the shell he has created around himself. Max works hard to understand the issues in Biggers life that culminated in his actions and the violence he exerted against Mary and Bessie, and he uses this information to form his defense. Although the crimes that Bigger committed were horrific, the reader begins to sympathize with him as he describes more about himself and his feelings to Max as the story comes to a conclusion.Wrights goal with this novel was to evoke empathy for Bigger and to make a statement regarding the treatment of blacks at the time. Wright uses Maxs closing statement to the judge to summarize all of the points he wants the reader to contemplate. Max c ombines everything that he learns about Bigger and weaves it unneurotic with the plight of the blacks during the time and eloquently argues that Bigger should be sentenced to life in prison, kinda than to execution. Max argues, This man is different, even though his crime differs from similar crimes only in degree. The complex forces of society have disjointed here for us a symbol, a test symbol (354).Through Maxs monologue, the reader more distinctly understands all of the factors thathave contributed to the creation of Bigger and others like him, and he pleads with the judge to understand that there are larger forces in play, other than the specific crime that Bigger committed. Unfortunately, despite Maxs doughty attempts, the sentence of the Court is that you, Bigger Thomas, shall surpass on or before midnight of Friday, borderland third, in a manner appointed by the laws of this state (381). Initially, it would appear that with Biggers execution, Wright fails in his att empt to act people to reevaluate the racial immorality of the times, but the conclusion is actually Wrights acknowledgement that society was not quite ready to change.