Native Son By Richard Wright

“Native Son” composed by Richard Wright was revolved into an American drama picture in 1986 by director Jerrold Freeman. This piece caused a lot of controversy on whether the protagonist, Bigger Thomas, is guilty or innocent in the unfortunate events that have occurred. The purpose of this argumentative essay is to examine Richard Wright’s film adaptation of Native Son and prove his innocence based on how society deceived and deprived African Americans, his living and social environment, and his fears.

Richard Wright made a film adaptation called “Native Son”, speaking on a time frame where segregation was still present in 1940’s of Chicago, a man was accused of murder. This film took a quick wrong turn when something unpredictable happened causing conflicting views. In addition to this racism played a great deal in his crime to be found guilty. In addition to this racism played a great deal in his crime to be found guilty. The purpose of this essay to examine Richard Wright's film adaptation of ‘Native Son’ and his innocent crime in regards to racism, violence, and poverty, to discuss view of points of whether he is guilty or innocent.

Many times in novels, authors will use conflicts to strengthen the plot and to give more depth to the story that they are penning. There are four main plot conflicts that authors have to choose from: man versus nature, man versus society, man versus man, and finally, man versus self. Authors, many times, will use only one or two of these conflicts but in the novel, Native Son, all four conflicts are used to some extent. In this novel, Richard Wright, does a superb job of meticulously blending all four conflicts together to form a well-rounded novel about a black man in 1920 's Chicago.

Discuss how your investigation of the generic conventions of poetry has influenced your understanding of at least one poem that you have studied in this unit.

In Richard Wright’s Native Son, the book is split into three books. The first 2 books focus mainly on the suspense and tensions rising within Bigger’s life and finally in the last book he dies. The dramatic conflict of Native Son takes place chiefly within the mind of Bigger Thomas, who lives in a world of whites, blacks , or reds. To Bigger all of life is conflict and issues that is defined by the color of your skin with the whites being higher up. The tensions within the book can be comparable to fire and ice as each element possess traits which can be seen as metaphors within the novel Native son by Richard Wright and his essay of “How Bigger was Born”.

Hatred for white society was a strong theme among the African American community during the 1950s. These emotions were conveyed through different platforms of the time, ranging from art and music, to articles and books. But James Baldwin, a popular African American writer during this time period, does not obsess over this subject that was so passionately conveyed by so many people like him. Instead of preaching about his hatred for white America, Baldwin utilizes his story of his childhood as well as his early adulthood to illustrate the destructive nature of the African Americans society’s hatred for white society in the very well known essay, “Notes of a Native Son.”

In the mid 1900’s, different parts of society struggled with power due to the idea of racial supremacy. The idea of a superior race lead to the racial oppression of blacks, which had deep and lasting effects on society. This can be seen in Native Son by Richard Wright. During this time, power was heavily dependent on race: a concept Bigger Thomas struggled with throughout the entire novel. This can be seen on Bigger’s journey to understand and grasp for power, and the lasting effects of racial oppression on not only himself, but the black community as a whole.

Wright’s 1940 novel, Native Son had stirred up real controversy by shocking the sensibilities of both black and white America. Wright was inspired to make his readers feel the reality of race relations and that is how Native Son came about. Wright used his observances throughout the previous decade to sculpt the inherent challenges faced by the main character, Bigger Thomas, a 20-year old African American in the South side of Chicago. In a time, when the Great Depression was impacting the economy, the Dust Bowl was crossing the country, and an anti-lynching bill failed to pass in Congress, the context of history became an important facet of Wright’s creation of the film adaptation.

James Baldwin's "Notes of a Native Son" contains many themes such as social injustice and family values. Underlying all his work are anecdotes of how prejudice affected him both when he witnessed other people making judgments as well as making his own judgments growing up. Baldwin discusses his experiences to show how prejudice can create different perceptions among others.

Gruesome allegations swarming against black men in the mid-twentieth century has created a sense of fear concerning blacks from the white community. White people have always had an idealistic stereotype on how they have viewed the African American race. In the case of the Scottsboro Boys and the events in “Native Son” by Richard Wright, it is evident that there are many things to be cautious of as a young black man in America. Richard Wright’s novel “Native Son” is a fictional text which he uses to convey character development, themes, and an explanation for why things occurred. Wright touches greatly on the way history repeats itself and it shows the unjust actions of the law toward people of color which relates to the Scottsboro Boys Case.

James Baldwin’s “Notes of a Native Son” interweaves his own racial experiences with the ongoing chaos and claustrophobia in Harlem. Following the death of his father, a man “eaten up by paranoia,” the author embarks on an introspective journey, realizing how his identity is shaped by both the traits he inherits from his father and the experiences he has with racist attitudes and violence. Baldwin’s prose is as complex as the concepts he deals with, as he comes to the conclusion that hatred is a choice, not a fact of life.

  In Native Son, Wright employs Naturalistic ideology and imagery, creating the character of Bigger Thomas, who seems to be composed of a mass of disruptive emotions rather than a rational mind joined by a soul. This concept introduces the possibility that racism is not the only message of the novel, that perhaps every person would feel as isolated and alone as Bigger does were he trapped in such a vicious cycle of violence and oppression. Bigger strives to find a place for himself, but the blindness he encounters in those around him and the bleak harshness of the Naturalistic society that Wright presents the reader with close him out as effectively as if they had shut a door in his

Divisions based on race create an environment that swells communities with tension until they explode. A perfect example of this is found in Richard Wright’s Native Son, which depicts Bigger, a poor African American, living in segregated Chicago. Due to the oppression and unjust conditions of society at the time Bigger is herded towards a path of criminal action that even Bigger himself expected. Wright’s underlying opinion throughout Native Son, is that the oppression placed upon people of color is cruel and that society should be striving towards changing the status quo.

Discrimination against African Americans has always been prevalent in western society, from the brutal slavery of the 1850’s, to the more generalized brutality of the police and hate crime of the 21st century. In Richard Wright’s novel Native Son, a young African American boy named Bigger is given a chance at a better life when he gets a job in a white man’s home. However, things quickly take a turn for the worst when Bigger accidentally murders the daughter of his employer. Terrified of the consequences, he disposes of the body and in his struggle to evade capture, murders again. His rash acts eventually end in his seizure by the police, where he is given a rushed and inequitable trial. Racial prejudice towards Bigger and his case, mob factor,

When analyzing Bigger Thomas, Richard Wright’s protagonist in the novel Native Son, one must take into consideration the development of his characterization. Being a poor twenty-year-old Black man in the south side of Chicago living with his family in a cramped one- bedroom apartment in the 1930’s, the odds of him prospering in life were not in his favor. Filled with oppression, violence, and tragedy, Bigger Thomas’ life was doomed from the moment he was born. Through the novel, Bigger divulges his own dreams to provide for his family and to be anything but a “nobody.” Although Bigger struggled to fight through obstacles to pursue his dreams for the future, his chase for a better life came to an abrupt