The Native Son :: essays papers

The Native SonThe novel, Native Son, by Richard Wright deals with a lot of themes all surrounding the protagonist, Bigger. Wright wants to show that, considering the conditions of Biggers existence, his violent temperament and his criminal behavior are not surprising. Bigger wants to feel like a human being with a free, independent will. His overwhelming sense of hero-worship arises from his lack of power feeling in the face of an unnamed, hovering doom. Biggers crime is an act of rebellion, an affirmation of his independent will to act against the voice of mixer authority. Violence and crime are the only things Bigger feels he can use to declare his individual will as a human being. cardinal of the themes in the novel, deals with Richard Wrights criticisms and the blindness of Jan and Mary. The social institutions described by Wright in the novel were very detailed. During the 1930s, a symbolic code that was very common on black servants was one who was humble, clownish and ign orant. This helped elevate the whites rage, and boost the propagated images of black Americans. The newsreel depicted the entertainments and scandals of the ultra-rich. This newsreel was followed by a movie that portrayed black people as exotic, immemorial savages. Together, these two films reflected an exaggerated portrait of racist symbolic codes. White society has control over the social dilogue that determines the meaning of the color of Biggers skin and identity. Blackness is portayed as dangerous, savage, and inferior to whiteness. The judicial system was also criticized in their rulings against Bigger. They didnt seem to give much thought of Maxs speech. They still did what society cherished and found him guilty. Richard Wright criticizes the courts for being one-sided on every case that involves a colored man. In the middle of the second book, the press were so interested in Bigger to help with discrediting Jan and the Communist Party. They are delighted to hear that Bigg er didnt want to eat with Jan and Mary at Ernies. They wanted to print an article use Bigger to prove that the primitive Negro doesnt want to be disturbed by white civilization. Though they are the ones being fooled by Biggers role playing in which he can use to protect himself, due to their racism. Mr. Daltons real estate company charges homeowners in the black belt, an exhorborant come in for run down.