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10 | (2) |
| Introduction |
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12 | (2) |
| A Biography |
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14 | (22) |
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| Characters and Plot |
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36 | (7) |
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Wright's Craft Is as Important as Content in Native Son |
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43 | (9) |
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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 |
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The American Black Man's Experience Is Reflected Through Imagery in Native Son |
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52 | (10) |
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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 |
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The Violence of the Best: Animal Imagery in Native Son |
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62 | (5) |
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Wright employs animal imagery throughout Native Son to suggest that whites in the novel view blacks as animals and Bigger, especially, as a beast |
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Wright's Allusions to Color---Blindness in Native Son |
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67 | (3) |
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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 |
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The Conclusion of Native Son Is Often Misunderstood |
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70 | (12) |
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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 |
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Wright's Male Heroes and Female Characters Are Archetypes |
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82 | (9) |
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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 |
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Wright's Minor Women Characters Are More Sympathetic than the Men |
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91 | (7) |
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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 |
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Bigger Thomas Is a Product of Mass Culture |
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98 | (9) |
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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 |
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Bigger Thomas Wants to Be Heard |
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107 | (8) |
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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 |
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Bigger Thomas Represents the Social Plight of the Lower Classes |
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115 | (5) |
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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 |
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The Power of Place in Native Son |
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Native Son Is Set in a Gothic Ghetto |
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120 | (5) |
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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 |
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Man's Need for Community: The Failure of the City in Native Son |
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125 | (8) |
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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 |
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Urban Racism Causes Bigger's Irrationality |
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133 | (10) |
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Bigger Thomas's irrational acts stem from his fear of the gulf between blacks and whites in his environment |
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Religion, Racism, and Violence: Themes in Native Son |
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Native Son Is a Novel of Religious Skepticism |
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143 | (5) |
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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 |
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A Missed Clue Proves the Existence of Racism in Native Son |
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148 | (4) |
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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 |
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Native Son Is a Novel of Revolt |
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152 | (5) |
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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 |
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Explaining the Violence of Native Son |
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157 | (7) |
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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 |
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Violence in Native Son Shocks Readers into Awareness of White Oppression |
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164 | (8) |
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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 |
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| Chronology |
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172 | (6) |
| For Further Research |
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178 | (3) |
| Index |
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181 | |
Other versions by this Author
