Native Son Essay, Research Paper

In his most famous novel, \”Native Sun\”, Richard Wright successfully

develops three major themes: racism, violence, and social injustice. He has

captured the powerful emotions and suffering, the frustrations and desires, the

discontentment and nervous outburst, of Bigger Thomas in this grippingly

dramatic novel.

At the time, racism was transpiring agaisnt the black race. Bigger was

raised in a one room apartment, living with his family and rats. The rent was very

high, and his mother was barely able to pay it. Bigger\’s education like most

blacks at that time, did not exceed the eighth grade. Without the help of the

Relief Agency, Bigger and his family may not have been able to keep up

financially. Bigger had no money, except for the spare change his mother gave

him, so he would usually just hang out at the pool hall, which was in the black

district, or southside.

Bigger used to pull little jobs with his friends, but all of them

including Bigger wanted to pull off a big job, by robbing Blum\’s store. They were

afraid though, of getting caught for robbing a white man. They know the police

don\’t care about blacks, and would probably accuse them of many more crimes.

Luckily for Bigger, though, the Relief Agency did find him a job with the Dalton

family. When Bigger went to the Dalton\’s house for the first time, he brought his

gun, because it made him feel equal to the white people. This is an example of

some type of \”violence\” used by Bigger, in his struggle for equality.

When Bigger got to the Dalton\’s house, he didn\’t know whether to enter

the house by the front or back door. He looked for a way to the back, and

realizes the only way in is through the front door. As he rang the doorbell, he felt

very disturbed,and when he started talking to Mr. Dalton, he asked Bigger about

his past crimes, making him feel uneasy. Then, Mary Dalton walked in and asked

Bigger many questions, until her father finally asked her to leave the room. Bigger

was afraid that this little brat was going to get him to lose his job. Then he met

Peggy, a maid, who asks Bigger all these questions. Peggy showed Bigger the

car he was to drive the family in. When he saw the black car, he thought about

how the whites own everything. When Bigger meets Miss Dalton, she talks to

other people about him while he is standing next to her, like he was the third

person.

Richard Wright also shows how Bigger is caught up by forces he could

neither understand, or control. Through violence, Bigger would try to express his

fear. Bigger mainly disliked his family because he feels sorry for them. And

when Bigger picks on his friend, Gus, it is mainly out of fear of robbing Mr. Plum.

When Bigger, Mary, and Jan get drunk, Bigger takes Mary home and

accidentally kills her while trying to shut her up so her mom wouldn\’t know she

was drunk. Then, after Mary is dead, and her mom is gone, Bigger shoves

Mary\’s Body in her trunk, and carries her downstairs. Then, Bigger tries to shove

Mary\’s body in the furnace, but her head wouldn\’t fit. So, he takes the hatchet

and cuts her head off, throwing it as well as her body, in the furnace.

After everyone found out Bigger had killed Mary, Bigger ran to Bessie,

his girlfriend\’s, house. When he arrived, he ended up telling her

everything that had happened. Bigger, after telling Bessie everything, realizes he

can\’t leave her alone with this knowledge. So, Bigger and Bessie, ran to an

abandoned building, where Bigger figured how hard it would be to keep going,

with Bessie along. Bigger felt he had to kill her to keep her quiet and keep her off

his back, so he did.

When Bigger got caught by the police and was jailed, he received

constant harassment. He was faced with a choice of either confess, or else be

lynched by a white crowd, which shows the violence of whites towards

blacks. At the trial Bigger was tried unlawfully. For instance, Buckley, the man

prosecuting Bigger, tells Bigger to reenact the murder. Throughout the trial, there

was name calling in the newspapers, and at the trial. Once again, racism and

hatred are expressed by the people.