Native Son by Richard Wright - Book Report/Review Example

The Novel "Native Sun" written by Richard Wright is about a twenty-year-old black boy d Bigger Thomas, who grows up in extreme poverty in the ghettos of South Chicago. Bigger always finds himself in loads of trouble growing up until he gets himself a job at the Daltons, a rich white family. It is then that life changing events occur. One would have thought that upon receiving this job, Bigger would have better himself; yet, this does not happen. It is then that Bigger realizes his true identity, which causes him to go mad. Bigger ends up killing a white woman, Mary Dalton. Then, he commences to raping his girlfriend. When news starts getting out about his crimes, and when the police pursue him, he runs and hides. When caught, he is tried and is given the death sentence. Bigger does not really want to commit the crimes that he did; however, he feels that it was deep within him to do so. Wright confirms this by writing, "I didn't want to kill", Bigger shouted. "But what I killed for, I am! It must've been pretty deep in me to make me kill." (Wright) One might wonder why it is so deep within Bigger to commit the crimes that he did. Bigger's Lawyer tells us by stating that, "No American Negro exists, who does not have his private Bigger Thomas living in his skull." (Wright) This means that black people will behave just as society expects them to. They will follow the path that society thinks they should follow, one of poverty, crime, and trouble. Various elements in the novel, such as Bigger's treatment by his friends and the rest of society, as well as his motivations, fall into the category of literary naturalism. Before we explain how elements of "Native Sun" fall into the category of literary naturalism, we must first develop an understanding of the actual meaning of literary naturalism. According to an article written about literary naturalism and how it has evolved over history. The article describes literary naturalism as being "generally dire in outlook, deterministic in philosophy, and aesthetically aligned with literary realism" Furthermore, there has been "a revision of the relationship between historical context and literary text as it concerns this genre, dialoguing accounts of the influence of evolutionary theory in redefining naturalism." Additionally, "both the darker Malthusian current and the utopian evolutionary theory of Spencer contribute to a broader conception of naturalism." (Palmer, 833-834) According to an article written about a renowned literary scholar and his works, literary naturalism is merely an extension of reality. In order for a literary work to fall into the category of literary naturalism, the theme of the work must contain two contradictions or tensions. For instance, one tension can exist between low class citizens and the rest of society, let say the middle and upper classes. Another tension can be present when the main character realizes an unsettling truth, and he must reconcile with it, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. The character may be poor and defeated, and his emotions may confirm this; however, he must do whatever possible to face what is ahead of him. Tension happens in this case because he has to fight with his inner self, as well as with the outer influences of the world (Brennan, 8). Both of these themes are present in "Native Sun." Bigger is a low class citizen, as he grew up and continued to live in extreme poverty, and he has to struggle with the unsettling truths that he discovers about himself upon working at the Dalton home. Literary naturalism also suggests that heredity, social class, and one's environment are the key factors in shaping a person's character. Such elements of literary naturalism are derived from the teachings of Charles Darwin, hence the reason for the belief of such forces shaping the characters in the story. Works that fall into the category of literary naturalism typically focus on the evils of life, such as poverty and racism (Brennan, 8). These elements can be seen throughout "Native Sun," as these themes shape the novel. The first element of literary naturalism that can be found in this book is the social and economic status of Bigger and his family. In the beginning of the book, we learn that bigger and his family are living in extreme poverty. Their poverty is so extreme that they must depend on government assistance. To avoid the family losing the bit of government relief that they have, it is up to Bigger to find and obtain employment. It is the family's only hope of survival. The poverty imposes such a hardship on the family that his mother almost begs him not to miss the job interview (Wright) Another clue that the book gives us concerning the poverty of Bigger and his family is the description of the living conditions. We learn that Bigger and his mother, brother and sister, all live in a one room house that is infested with rats. On the morning of the job interview, while breakfast is being made, a large rat makes his presence known, and Bigger kills it (Wright). ON top of the poverty that Bigger and his family continue to live in, they must also deal with racism on many levels. First of all, Bigger knows that, as a black man, he must maintain a level of distance from the white people in which he is working with. Not only does he have to maintain his distance from the white population while working with them, he must do this at all times. This fact becomes ever so evident with him while he is driving Mary Dalton to her supposed college class to actually be driven to her boyfriend's house instead. Bigger is invited to sit in the front seat with Mary and her boyfriend Jan and he is treated as an equal. This causes him to feel strange inside, as he is violating a social taboo in regards to whites and blacks (Wright). This is one of the harsh truths that Bigger discovers while working with the Daltons, that he is none other than a black man who must know his rank in society and keep it. The fact that Mary and her boyfriend are being so friendly to him and treating him as though he is one of them is what makes him really see society for what it is, as it is not characteristic for whites to treat blacks in this fashion. It is not something that Bigger sees every day. Another truth that Bigger discovers in regards to where he stands in society as far as his race is concerned is how he is supposed to maintain his distance from a white woman. This horrible truth becomes quite evident when Bigger must contend with getting Mary, who is intoxicated after a night of drinking on the town, out of the car and up to her bed. Because he is supposed to maintain a very respectful distance to white women, he must do this without being noticed. Should he be noticed, there is going to be a great deal of trouble for him, andBigger knows this (Wright). Quietly, Bigger carries Mary up to bed; however, he does not leave right away. He begins taking advantage of Mary in her drunken sleep, kissing and fondling her. After awhile, he notices that Mary's blind mother is coming. To avoid being discovered, as Mary might scream and give Bigger away, he puts the pillow over Mary's face in an effort to silence her. What he doesn't realize until later is that he has killed her. Now, an even more unsettling truth hits him. He knows what happens when a black man commits a crime, especially when the crime involves a white woman (Wright). In an effort to cover up the crime, Bigger finds himself getting into heaps more trouble. Bigger stuffs the body of Mary into the furnace and has to figure out what to do with the remains, as well as cover up his story. Unfortunately, Bigger does not cover up his plot well enough, as there are a number of holes in the story that led to his discovery and capture. Bigger goes on a rampage that causes severe destruction of property, another killing, as he dashes the head of his girlfriend with a brick after raping her, and then remains on the run until he is caught and tried (Wright). The last truth that Bigger comes to realization with is when he is at his trial, just before he is put to death. He realizes where he stands in society as a black man, more so than he ever did before. He realizes that he is nothing more than a product of his environment, a product of unfair treatment, unequal education, and unfair housing, as he and his family are forced to live in the most squalid conditions offered to man (Wright). While the book ends in tragedy, since Bigger is merely a victim of his own environment and circumstances, and it is too late for him to change, though, he has come to his own realizations concerning why things are the way they are, It is a wonderful work of literary naturalism that portrays in the most realistic way, how black people were treated during that time period. Not to mention, Wright's novel teaches us a number of wonderful lessons. One lesson that "Native Sun" teaches us is how there is a connection between one's economic and social status and their motivations. This is made evident in how Bigger behaves toward the rich Dalton family, especially their daughter, when he not only has inappropriate relations with her, which is forbidden not only between the rich and the poor during that time, but also between whites and blacks, and he steals a roll of money, which he shows to his little brother, and his little brother promises to keep it a secret (). Another lesson that this novel teaches is that blacks during that period were not welcome to have the luxuries of life that the white population enjoyed, such as plenty of food to eat, a clean place to sleep, and plenty of money and resources. Blacks, especially those living in the Southern side of Chicago where bigger and his family make their dwelling, were subject to squalid living conditions. They scraped by for pennies on a routine basis. Rats infested their homes. And many times, they were subjected to brutality that was brought about by racism. They suffered a horrid plight far too often, and right used his novel, "Native Sun," to illustrate just how deplorable those conditions really were for the blacks during that time (Publisher's Weekly, 179). Richard Wright, the author of "Native Sun," grew up in similar conditions to that of Bigger Thomas. The life that Wright led in his younger years was marred with hardship, poverty, and hatred coming from all directions, as he not only lived in the South, he lived during the time of Jim Crow, which meant that he was able to see white supremacy at its worst. When he was a young adult, he migrated to the north, along with thousands of other blacks who were looking forward to leaving this horrid lifestyle behind and make a new one for themselves. Unfortunately for Wright, he wound up in a similar situation, where he would still contend with poor living conditions and racism. While he was not subject to the racism that he was in the South, he was subjected to it nonetheless. The level of racism, as well as the poverty, that he was subjected to was so horrid that he was compelled to write about it (Skutsch). During his early adulthood, Wright lived in the slums of South Chicago, suffering the same political, economical, and social injustices that Bigger Thomas does in his novel. Wright wrote with a Communist flare in the beginning, as he desired for all people to be treated equally, and he wanted his work to express what he felt. This did hurt his literary achievements in the beginning; but when Wright realized this, he changed his course, and "Native Sun" was born (Jones 182). Concerning the life that Wright led before writing "Native Sun," and his earlier works that were written with a Communist flare, the same article states the following: Hart follows her subject from his poor Southern childhood to his struggles as a young man in Chicago to his literary success and notoriety and the end of his life in Europe. Wright's best-known works-at least to high school students-are Native Son and Black Boy, both of which are major reference points and sources for the text. The author also explores Wright's involvement in the Communist Party, which at one point facilitated his writing but would turn out to haunt his achievements; his love life; and his influence on such artists as James Baldwin and on cultural institutions like Broadway theater and the Paris Review." (Jones et al, 182) Being that Wright was displeased about the plight of his people, he wrote "Native Sun" and expressed as much anger as any black writer ever did during that time period. Wright was determined to use as many elements of literary naturalism as humanly possible in order to paint the picture that he wanted society to see concerning his people. He wanted to make sure society knew that blacks did a lot of the things that they did because they were victims of bad luck, unfair treatment, deplorable living conditions, and unfortunate circumstances. NO other black writer ever dared to touch on the things that Richard Wright had. The novel was so well written, so expressive, and so realistic, that it was almost an instant success. As a matter of fact, the novel sold over two hundred thousand copies in its first three weeks of its release (Skutsch). The novel always stayed true to its course, never abandoning the course of literary naturalism. In doing this, the novel proved to us several points concerning the blacks and their way of life in that time period, of which we will focus on two major ones that shaped the novel. The first point that the novel proved is how the treatment of the blacks of that time period had a psychological impact, making them feel as though they were worthless, and there was nothing much that could be done to change that fact. This is one of the themes that dominates the novel, as we see how Bigger behaves towards his friends and others in society. He is molded by twenty years of shame, and he is confused about the messages that he receives on all sides that he eventually snaps. Which leads us to the next major point that this novel proves, which is how the pressure of one's environment effects an individual (Skutsch). Bigger have many pressures to contend with. He is not only heavily depended upon by his mother to go and win the bread for the family, as he is sent out to find a job, he is also subjected to the pressures that are set upon him from society, as they expect him to live as a black man should. Bigger deals with a lot of pressure not to deviate from his marginalized role, and unfortunately, this causes him to go down the road that he did, killing, lying, cheating, and committing a number of heinous crimes. And of course, Bigger never had much of a chance anyhow, since society expect blacks to behave in that manner. It was never thought that they could do any better (Skutsch). "Native Sun" still continues to live on today, and it is a great teaching tool in regards to how life was for blacks during the 1930's. While it is primarily concerning life in the slums of South Chicago and how black people there struggled to survive, this book can be used as a tool that accurately portrays life for blacks all over the nation. As a matter of fact, the reason that this book was such a success is because so many generations of blacks, past and present, can identify with the text. This book is truly one remarkable work of literary naturalism. Work Cited Brennan C. "Donald Pizer and the Study of American Literary Naturalism." Studies in American Naturalism 1.1/2 (2006): 3-14. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Dec. 2009. This source discusses literary naturalism in depth, as it analyzes the subject in great detail. Information from this source will help in formulating the paper, as it will give the reader necessary information that will enable him to better understand the paper's subject matter. Since the paper is written on the topic of elements of literary naturalism found in Native Sun, clarifying the meaning of literary naturalism is important. Jones, Trevelyn E., et al. "Native Son (Book)." School Library Journal 49.4 (2003): 182. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Dec. 2009. This source gives important details about the book that are important to include in this writing. These details are central to the overall construction of this paper. This source gives a bit of insight into the author's life. Concerning this, one quote states, "Hart follows her subject from his poor Southern childhood to his struggles as a young man in Chicago to his literary success and notoriety and the end of his life in Europe. Wright's best-known works-at least to high school students-are Native Son and Black Boy, both of which are major reference points and sources for the text. The author also explores Wright's involvement in the Communist Party, which at one point facilitated his writing but would turn out to haunt his achievements; his love life; and his influence on such artists as James Baldwin and on cultural institutions like Broadway theater and the Paris Review." "Native Son." Publishers Weekly 255.26 (2008): 179. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Dec. 2009. This is another source that explains "Native Sun" in great detail. This source will go together with the other source that is used for the purpose of the literary analysis of "Native Sun." Palmer, Sean "The Vast and Terrible Drama: American Literary Naturalism in the Late Nineteenth Century." Modern Language Review 103.3 (2008): 833-834. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Dec. 2009. In this article, Palmer discusses what literary naturalism is and talks about its impact on various writings in the late nineteenth century that have impacted writers of the twentieth century. Useful information is contained in this article that will help with the literary analysis of "Native Sun," such as the definition of literary naturalism and various elements that fall in line with it. The following quotes are central to the understanding of literary naturalism, as they explain this genre's characteristics, as well as how it has evolved stating that literary naturalism is "generally dire in outlook, deterministic in philosophy, and aesthetically aligned with literary realism" Furthermore, there has been "a revision of the relationship between historical context and literary text as it concerns this genre, dialoguing accounts of the influence of evolutionary theory in redefining naturalism." Additionally, "both the darker Malthusian current and the utopian evolutionary theory of Spencer contribute to a broader conception of naturalism." (Palmer, 833-834) Skutsch, Carl. "Richard Nathaniel Wright." Forthcoming in Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 2000. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. . This piece not only discusses "Native Sun" in detail, a small biography is given about Richard Wright, which is pertinent to this literary analysis. Information about Wright is crucial to the paper, as it enables the reader to better understand why "Native Sun" was written as it was. Wright, Richard. Native Sun. Harper Perennial, 1940. N. pag. MSWord file. This is the book itself. Various quotes will be taken from the book to support thoughts throughout the paper. Not to mention, ideas will be taken from the book and analyzed. After all, this is what the literary analysis is about. A couple of crucial quotes are, "I didn't want to kill", Bigger shouted. "But what I killed for, I am! It must've been pretty deep in me to make me kill." This was said by Bigger Thomas when he was trying to rationalize why he did the killing. Another quote that the lawyer states answers the question by stating that "No American Negro exists, who does not have his private Bigger Thomas living in his skull." These are the two most crucial quotes that this paper focuses upon. Read More