Readings on Native Son, Literary Companion to American Literature

by Mitchell, Hayley R.

• ISBN13: 9780737703191
• ISBN10: 0737703199
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-04-01
• Publisher: Greenhaven Pr

Summary

Chapters discuss the imagery, characterization, setting, and themes found in Richard Wright's powerful novel detailing the treatment of blacks within a predominantly white society.

Table of Contents

Foreword	10	(2)
Introduction	12	(2)
A Biography	14	(22)
Richard Wright
Characters and Plot	36	(7)
The Art of Native Son
Wright's Craft Is as Important as Content in Native Son	43	(9)
Joyce Ann Joyce
While plot is important in any work of fiction, Richard Wright knows that other elements of fiction, such as writing style, are also crucial to the art of novel writing. In Native Son he relies heavily on the mechanics of his craft
The American Black Man's Experience Is Reflected Through Imagery in Native Son	52	(10)
James A. Emanuel
The furnace, Bigger's standing in the middle of rooms, the Christian cross, blindness, looming walls, and other powerful images work together in Native Son to dramatize the male African American experience
The Violence of the Best: Animal Imagery in Native Son	62	(5)
Robert Felgar
Wright employs animal imagery throughout Native Son to suggest that whites in the novel view blacks as animals and Bigger, especially, as a beast
Wright's Allusions to Color---Blindness in Native Son	67	(3)
Seymour L. Gross
Readers are quick to discern that blindness in Native Son is metaphoric, an allusion to color and the racism of the novel. What many do not know, however, is that the name Dalton itself is an allusion to color---blindness, which adds more metaphoric meaning to the work
The Conclusion of Native Son Is Often Misunderstood	70	(12)
Paul N. Siegel
There is less Communist Party ideology at work in the conclusion of Native Son than some critics have suggested, and the fact that Bigger heads toward his death sentence with hatred for his oppressors in his heart is not as much a defeat as it may seem
Characters in Native Son
Wright's Male Heroes and Female Characters Are Archetypes	82	(9)
Maria K. Mootry
Wright's male heroes turn to violence after suffering racial and economic injustices in America; his female characters, on the other hand, often play the role of coconspirator of the oppressor
Wright's Minor Women Characters Are More Sympathetic than the Men	91	(7)
Kathleen Ochshorn
Unlike the mostly unsympathetic male characters of Native Son, Wright's female characters, both white and black, suggest a community of shared, mostly positive values that balance the harsh reality of Bigger Thomas
Bigger Thomas Is a Product of Mass Culture	98	(9)
Ross Pudaloff
As a character, Bigger Thomas does not possess the kind of depth that traditional protagonists possess. Rather, he is a stereotypical product of mass culture, defining himself only by the images of himself that his environment provides him
Bigger Thomas Wants to Be Heard	107	(8)
James A. Miller
Although he is articulate within his own community, Bigger wants to be understood in white society. Ultimately he gains an audience in that society through his violent acts, but he must then face death in isolation as those who were once willing to help him recoil from his acceptance of himself as a killer
Bigger Thomas Represents the Social Plight of the Lower Classes	115	(5)
James Robert Saunders
Bigger Thomas is an example of the alienated lower classes, segregated by racism in society. His violent acts suggest that alienation can lead to social harm
The Power of Place in Native Son
Native Son Is Set in a Gothic Ghetto	120	(5)
Robert Butler
The gothic landscape of the Chicago ghetto in Native Son causes Bigger to suffer paralysis and alienation. It is a ``strange nether world that threatens to destroy him'' for its lack of warmth and light
Man's Need for Community: The Failure of the City in Native Son	125	(8)
Charles W. Scruggs
The theme of Native Son is not the individual versus society, but man's need for community, and in the case of Bigger Thomas, the failure of his environment---the city---to provide it
Urban Racism Causes Bigger's Irrationality	133	(10)
Seodial Deena
Bigger Thomas's irrational acts stem from his fear of the gulf between blacks and whites in his environment
Religion, Racism, and Violence: Themes in Native Son
Native Son Is a Novel of Religious Skepticism	143	(5)
Robert L. Douglas
Wright's treatment of Reverend Hammond and his concept of a religious worldview in Native Son suggest that the novel is one of religious skepticism
A Missed Clue Proves the Existence of Racism in Native Son	148	(4)
Doyle W. Walls
When those involved in Bigger's case fail to detect an obvious clue that he is the killer of Mary Dalton, it is clear that they have rejected his humanity. They do not understand his language; therefore, they do not know him
Native Son Is a Novel of Revolt	152	(5)
Steve J. Rubin
Native Son works within the framework of social protest, representing an examination of the theme of personal rebellion, a theme dominating the writing of European writers of Wright's day
Explaining the Violence of Native Son	157	(7)
Jerry H. Bryant
Bigger Thomas lives vicariously, watching whites obtain the things he wants most. Without the same opportunities, he receives no nourishment or reward from society; it is only through violence that he is able to find meaning in his life
Violence in Native Son Shocks Readers into Awareness of White Oppression	164	(8)
Laurel J. Gardner
In imagining Bigger Thomas, Wright creates a representation of the evil that white society encourages through its oppression of blacks. Wright hoped white readers would realize he is a dangerous product of his racist environment
Chronology	172	(6)
For Further Research	178	(3)
Index	181