Native Son of Richard Wright

Book Review of Native Son by Richard Wright
Native Son by Richard Wright is in itself a mark of history not only because of its topic, but also due to the circumstances of its publication. The story revolves around the life of an African American, Bigger Thomas in the 1930s, around the time when the United States was just starting to recover from the Great Depression. It focuses on the hopelessness and despair that engulfed the country, and tells of the story how people struggled to continue living despite the circumstances. Published in the 1940s, Native Son became an important piece of literature that explored the possible reasons for the black-white racial divide in America, as well as exposed the impacts of such social condition.
Through Native Son, one can gain a picture of the disempowered life of the blacks through the experience of Bigger Thomas, whose consciousness was hinged on his incapability to take control over his life. Like the African-Americans of his day, Bigger had to contend with anger, fear and frustration, as well as accept that he cannot be aspire to be anything more than a low-waged, unskilled laborer. His life is doomed in the rat-infested part of town, his hope for a better life relied on the generosity of his white landlord, Mr. Dalton. As soon as Bigger takes a job with the Daltons, he is faced with many contrasting pictures of how life can be lived. There was Mary, the Daltons daughter who cared less for social norms and professed progressive ideals and greater racial tolerance. There was Mrs. Dalton, Mary’s blind mother who didn’t realize that an atrocious crime was already being committed in front of her. There was Bessie, Bigger’s girlfriend, who was also fell victim to the new false sense of entitlement Bigger developed after his murder of Mary. And then there was Jan, who treated Bigger with such respect that helped Bigger realize he was as much a human being as the whites were.
Native...