Literature Review
Richard Nathan Wright was born September 4, 1908 in Roxie, Mississippi (not far from Nachez), the son of Nathan Wright, an illiterate sharecropper, and Ella Wilson Wright, a schoolteacher, and the grandson of slaves. In 1911 Ella takes Wright and barely one year old brother Leon Alan to Natchez to live with her family and the father later joins them and finds work in a sawmill. In 1913, the four Wrights moved to Memphis, Tennessee. But within a year, Nathan deserts them for another woman and Ella works as a cook to support the family.
In September 1915, Richard entered school at Howe Institute. However, Ella fell ill early in 1916 and Richard’s father Nathan’s mother came for a while to care for the family. When she left, Richard and Alan had to live for a brief time in an orphange until Ella could have them live with her parents in Jackson, Mississippi. But again, Richard, Alan, and Ella were moved, this time with Ella’s sister Maggieand her husband Silas Hoskins in Elaine, Arkansas. But whites murdered Hoskins, and the family ran to West Helena, Arkansas, and then to Jackson, Mississippi. After a few months, they return to West Helena, where mother and aunt cook and clean for whites. Soon, Aunt Maggie goes north to Detroit with her new lover.
Wright entered school in the fall of 1918, but was forced to leave afer a few months because his mother’s poor health forces him to earn money to support the family. Unable to pay their rent, the family moved and Wright gathers excess coal next to the railroad tracks in order to heat the home. When his mother suffers a paralyzing stroke, they return with Ella’s Mother to Jackson, and Aunt Maggie takes Leon Alan to Detroit with her.
At the age of 13, Richard entered the fifth grade in Jackson, and he was soon placed in sixth grade. In addition, he delivers newspapers and works briefly with a traveling insurance salesman. The next year, he entered the seventh grade and his grandfather died. He managed to earn enough to buy textbooks, food, and clothes by running errands for whites. In the meantime, Richard read pulp novels, magazines, and anything he can get his hands on. During the winter, he writes his first short story, “The Voodoo of Hell’s Half-Acre,” which is published in the spring of 1924 in the Jackson Southern Register. In May 1925, Wright graduates valedictorian of his ninth grade. He begins high school, but as Leon Alan has returned from Detroit, quits after only a few weeks so he can earn money. At ties he worked two or even three jobs.
In 1927, Richard read H. L. Mencken, and from Mencken, Wright learned about and read Theodore Dreiser, Sinclair Lewis, Sherwood Anderson, Frank Harris, and others. Wright and Aunt Maggie moved to Chicago, while his mother and brother returned to Jackson, where Wright worked as a dishwasher and delivery boy until finding temporary employment with the postal service in Chicago. His mother and brother moved in with Wright and Aunt Maggie, and Aunt Cleopatra joins them. He makes friends, both black and white, in the post office, writes regularly, and attends meetings of black literary groups.
Following the stock market crash, Wright loses his postal job, but began work, in 1930, on a novel, “Cesspool,” (published posthumously in 1970’s as Lawd Today!) that reflects his experience in the post office. In 1931 Wright publishes a short story, “Superstition,” in Abbott’s Monthly Magazine, a black journal that fails before Wright collects any money from them. However, he did get an opportunity to write through the Federal Writers’ Project. He became a member of the Communist Party and published poetry and short stories in such magazines as Left Front, Anvil, and New Masses.
He went to New York for the American Writers’ Congress, where he speaks on “The Isolation of the Negro Writer.” He publishes a poem about lynching in Partisan Review and writes an article for New Masses entitled “Joe Louis Uncovers Dynamite.” After his return, he is hired by the Federal Writers’ Project to research the history of Illinois and of the Negro in Chicago. His short story “Big Boy Leaves Home” (1936) appears in The New Caravan anthology, where it attracts mainstream critical attention.
In 1937 Richard Wright went to New York City, where he became Harlem editor of the Communist paper, Daily Worker. He helps to launch the magazine New Challenge , and publishes “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow” in American Stuff: WPA Writers’ Anthology. “Blueprint for Negro Writing” appears in the first and only issue of New Challenge. A second novel manuscript, “Tarbaby’s Dawn,” makes the rounds with publishers and receives constant rejection; it is never published, but “Fire and Cloud” wins first prize in a Story Magazine contest.
The next year, Uncle Tom’s Children is published in March to wide acclaim. “Bright and Morning Star” appears in New Masses, and Wright soon joins that magazine’s editorial board. He works on a new novel and asks Margaret Walker to send him newspaper clippings from the Robert Nixon case in Chicago. In October, he finishes the first draft of this novel, which he calls Native Son. “Fire and Cloud” wins the O. Henry Memorial Award. By February 1939 he has a completed second draft of Native Son. After winning a Guggenheim Fellowship, Wright resigns from the Federal Writers’ Project. In June, he finishes Native Son and marries Dhima Rose Meadman, a white modern-dance teacher. Ralph Ellison is his best man. He begins work on a new novel, “Little Sister,” which is never published.
Native Son is published 1940 in March and the Book-of-the-Month Club offers it as a main selection. Though the book is banned in Birmingham, Alabama, libraries, Wright becomes internatinally famous. Unhappy with the stage adaptation of Native Son that Paul Green has been working on, Wright and John Houseman revise it with Orson Welles in mind as director. The book is a best-seller and is staged successfully as a play on Broadway (1941) by Orson Welles.
Wright expresses his opposition to the war first by signing onto an anti-war appeal by the League of American Writers, and second by publishing “Not My People’s War.” Both items appear in New Masses in 1941. He criticizes Roosevelt’s racial policies in a 27 June speech to the NAACP, although communist party pressure forces him to lessen his critique. Wright gets involved in music: “Note on Jim Crow Blues” prefaces blues singer Josh White’s Southern Exposure album and Paul Robeson, accompanied by the Count Basie orchestra, records Wright’s blues song, “King Joe.” Twelve Million Black Voices: A Folk History of the Negro in the United States published in October. Wright becomes interested in psychoanalysis as a result of his reading Fredric Wertham’s Dark Legend. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Wright signs a petition, which appears in New Masses, supporting America’s entry into the war.
Wright is not drafted in 1942 because he is his family’s sole support, but he unsuccessfully tries to secure a special commission in the psychological warfare or propoganda services of the army. He publishes “The Man Who Lived Underground” in Accent and “What You Don’t Know Won’t Hurt You” in Harper’s Magazine. He breaks quietly with the Communist party. Wright begins American Hunger. In 1943 the FBI begins interviewing Wright’s associates and neighbors, presumably to determine if 12 Million Black Voices constitutes sedition, but while that inquiry concludes during 1943, the FBI’s investigations continue until Wright’s death.
Book-of-the-Month Club tells Harper that it only wants the first section of American Hunger, which describes Wright’s southern experience. Wright agrees to this demand and titles the new volume Black Boy. The second section is not published until 1977 (as American Hunger). “I Tried to Be a Communist” appears in the Atlantic Monthly, causing New Masses and Daily Worker to denounce and disown Wright. Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth in March 1945. It remains on the bestseller list from 29 April until 6 June. Theodore Bilbo, a senator from Mississippi, labels the book obscene. That year Wright also helped James Baldwin win a fellowship.
In 1947, a Hollywood producer offers to film Native Son, but wants to change Bigger Thomas to a white man; Wright refuses. Wright’s works are being translated into several European languages. Wright decides to move the family to Europe permanently. But in reaction to the continued racism he encountered in America, Wright decided to move to France as a permanent expatriate. While in France, Wright took a growing interest in anti-colonial movements and also travelled extensively. Wright himself played Bigger in a motion-picture version of Native Son made in Argentina in 1951 .
Plot Summary
Morning Tension and Family Dynamics
Bigger awakens to a tense morning
In a cramped Chicago apartment, Bigger Thomas wakes to the sound of an alarm, surrounded by his family. The morning is filled with tension as his mother expresses frustration over their dire living conditions and Bigger’s lack of ambition. This environment of bickering and dissatisfaction sets the stage for Bigger’s internal conflict. He feels trapped by his circumstances and is reminded of a job interview with the wealthy Dalton family, which represents both an opportunity and a reminder of the racial and social barriers he faces. The oppressive atmosphere highlights Bigger’s struggle with his identity and the societal forces that confine him.
Bigger’s Desperate Calculations
Bigger’s mind races with fear
After accidentally killing Mary Dalton, Bigger is engulfed by fear and desperation. In a frantic attempt to cover up the crime, he decides to burn her body in the furnace. As he moves through the Dalton household, he is acutely aware of the racial and social barriers that separate him from the white family. His actions are driven by a mix of panic and a desire to assert control over his life, even as he feels the walls closing in around him. This moment marks the beginning of a series of desperate decisions that will define his fate.
The Kidnap Note Scheme
Bigger devises a risky plan
In a bid to deflect suspicion and gain money, Bigger concocts a plan to send a ransom note to the Daltons, pretending that Mary has been kidnapped. He enlists his girlfriend Bessie in the scheme, manipulating her fear and loyalty. The plan is fraught with danger, as Bigger must navigate the suspicions of the Dalton family and the private investigator, Britten, who is probing into Mary’s disappearance. This scheme highlights Bigger’s desperation and the lengths he will go to in order to maintain control over his precarious situation.
A Web of Lies and Deception
Bigger’s lies begin to unravel
As the investigation into Mary’s disappearance intensifies, Bigger is questioned by Britten and the Daltons. He fabricates a story implicating Jan, Mary’s Communist boyfriend, in the kidnapping. Bigger’s lies are a desperate attempt to maintain control, but the pressure mounts as the media and police become involved. The tension escalates as Bigger realizes the precariousness of his situation and the likelihood of being discovered. This chapter underscores the fragility of Bigger’s deception and the inevitable collapse of his carefully constructed facade.
Discovery and Escape
Bigger’s crime is uncovered
The discovery of Mary’s remains in the furnace by reporters and investigators forces Bigger to flee. The realization that his crime has been exposed propels him into a frantic escape through the snow-covered streets of Chicago. Bigger’s flight is driven by a primal instinct for survival, as he grapples with the consequences of his actions and the inevitability of capture. This moment marks a turning point in the narrative, as Bigger’s world unravels and he is forced to confront the reality of his situation.
Bigger’s Desperate Confession
Bigger confesses under pressure
After being captured, Bigger Thomas is overwhelmed by the enormity of his crimes. He is questioned relentlessly by Buckley, the State’s Attorney, who manipulates Bigger into confessing to the murders of Mary Dalton and Bessie Mears. Bigger is trapped in a web of lies and fear, realizing that his actions have sealed his fate. Despite his confession, he struggles with the idea that his life has been reduced to a series of desperate acts driven by fear and societal oppression. This chapter highlights the crushing weight of Bigger’s reality and the forces that have shaped his life.
The Trial and Public Outcry
Public demands justice for crimes
Bigger’s trial becomes a spectacle, with the public and media demanding swift justice. The courtroom is filled with tension as Buckley presents a damning case against Bigger, painting him as a monstrous figure. The trial is not just about Bigger’s guilt but also a reflection of the racial tensions and prejudices of the time. The mob outside the courthouse symbolizes the societal pressure to punish Bigger as a scapegoat for broader racial fears. This chapter underscores the societal forces at play and the role of public opinion in shaping the outcome of the trial.
Max’s Plea for Understanding
Max argues for Bigger’s humanity
Boris Max, Bigger’s lawyer, delivers a passionate plea, urging the court to consider the societal forces that shaped Bigger’s actions. He argues that Bigger is a product of systemic racism and poverty, and that his crimes are a desperate response to a life of oppression. Max’s speech highlights the need for empathy and understanding, challenging the court to see Bigger as a human being rather than a mere criminal. This chapter emphasizes the novel’s critique of societal structures and the need for compassion in the face of injustice.
Bigger’s Inner Turmoil
Bigger grapples with his identity
As the trial progresses, Bigger is consumed by inner conflict. He reflects on his life, realizing that his actions were driven by a deep-seated fear and anger. He struggles to reconcile his desire for freedom with the reality of his situation. Bigger’s introspection reveals his longing for identity and meaning in a world that has consistently denied him both. This chapter delves into Bigger’s psyche, exploring the complexities of his character and the forces that have shaped his life.
Facing the Inevitable End
Bigger accepts his fate
With the trial concluding and the death sentence looming, Bigger comes to terms with his impending execution. He finds a sense of peace in acknowledging his actions and the societal forces that led him to this point. In his final moments, Bigger seeks understanding and connection, hoping that his life and death will serve as a testament to the struggles faced by those like him. This chapter brings the narrative to a poignant close, highlighting the novel’s themes of identity, oppression, and the search for meaning.
https://sobrief.com/books/native-son
Literature Sample Collection:
FEAR
“Yeah!” Gus said with uneasy eagerness. His eyes were
full of a look compounded of fear and admiration for Bigger.
“Yeah; I know what you mean. It’s like you going to fall and
don’t know where you going to land. . . .’’
Gus’s voice trailed off. The sun slid behind a big white
cloud and the street was plunged in cool shadow; quickly
the sun edged forth again and it was bright and warm once
more. A long sleek black car, its fenders glinting like glass in
the sun, shot past them at high speed and turned a comer a
few blocks away. Bigger pursed his lips and sang;
“Zoooooooooom! ’’
“They got everything,” Gus said.
“They own the world,” Bigger said.
“Aw, what the hell,” Gus said. “Let’s go in the poolroom.”
“O.K.”
‘They walked toward the door of the poolroom.
“Say, you taking that job you told us about?” Gus asked.
“I don’t know.”
“You talk like you don’t want it ”
“Oh, hell, yes! I want the job,” Bigger said.
They look^ at each other and laughed. They went inside.
The poolroom was empty, save for a fat, black man who held
a half-smoked, unlit cigar in his mouth and leaned on the
front counter. To the rear burned a single green-shaded bulb.
“Hi, Doc,” Bigger said.
“You boys kinda early this morning,” Doc said.
“Jack or G.H. around yet?” Bigger asked.
“Naw,” Doc said.
“Let’s shoot a game,” Gus said.
“I’m broke,” Bigger said.
“I got some money.”
“Switch on the light. The balls are racked,” Doc said.
Bigger turned on the light. They lagged for first shot. Bigger
won They started playing Bigger’s shots were poor; he was
thinking of Blum’s, fascinated with the idea of the robbery,
and a little afraid of it.
“Remember what we talked about so much?” Bigger asked
in a flat, neutral tone,
“Naw.”
“Old Blum.”
“Oh,” Gus said. “We ain’t talked about that for a month.
How come you think of it all of a sudden?”
“Let’s clean the place out.”
“I don’t know.”
“It was your plan from the start,” Bigger said.
Gus straightened and stared at Bigger, then at Doc who was
looking out of the front window.
“You going to tell Doc? Can’t you never learn to talk low?”
“Aw, I was just asking you, do you want to try it?”
“Naw ”
“How come? You scared ’cause he’s a white man?”
“Naw. But Blum keeps a gun. Suppose he beats us to it?”
“Aw, you scared; that’s all. He’s a white man and you
scared.”
“The hell I’m scared,” Gus, hurt and stung, defended him-
self.
Bigger went to Gus and placed an arm about his shoulders.
“Listen, you won’t have to go in. You just stand at the door
and keep watch, see? Me and Jack and G.H.’ll go in If any-
body comes along, you whistle and we’ll go out the back way.
That’s all.”
The front door opened; they stopped talking and turned
their heads.
“Here comes Jack and G.H. now,” Bigger said.
Jack and G.H. walked to the rear of the poolroom.
“What you guys doing?” Jack asked.
“Shooting a game. Wanna play?” Bigger asked,
“You asldng ’em to play and I’m paying for the game,” Gus
said.
They all laughed and Bigger laughed with them but stopped
quickly. He felt that the joke was on him and he took a
seat alongside the wall and propped his feet upon the rungs
of a chair, as though he had not heard. Gus and G.H. kept on
laughing.
“You niggers is crazy,” Bigger said. “You laugh like mon-
keys and you ain’t got nerve enough to do nothing but talk.”
“What you mean?” G.H. asked.
“I got a haul all figured out,” Bigger said.
“What haul?”
“Old Blum’s.”
There was silence. Jack lit a cigarette. Gus looked away,
avoiding the conversation.
“If old Blum was a black man, you-all would be itching to
go. ’Cause he’s white, everybody’s scared.”
PEAR
“I ain’t scared,” Jack said, “I’m with you.”
“You say you got it all figured out?” G H. asked.
Bigger took a deep breath and looked from face to face. It
seemed to him that he should not have to expla’m.
“Look, it’ll be easy. There ain’t nothing to be scared of. Be-
tween three and four ain’t nobody in the store but the old
man. The cop is way down at the other end of the block. One
of us’ll stay outside and watch. Three of us’ll go in, see? One
of ns’ll throw a gun on old Blum; one of us’ll make for the
cash box under the counter, one of us’ll make for the back
door and have it open so we can make a quick get-away
down the back alley. . . . That’s all. It won’t take three min-
utes.”
“I thought we said we wasn’t never going to use a gun,”
G.H. said. “And we ain’t bothered no white folks before.”
“Can’t you see? This is something big,” Bigger said.
He waited for more objections. When none were forth-
coming, he talked again.
“We can do it, if you niggers ain’t scared.”
Save for the sound of Doc’s whistling up front, there was
silence. Bigger watched Jack closely; he knew that the sit-
uation was one in which Jack’s word would be decisive. Bigger
was afraid of Gus, because he knew that Gus would not
hold out if Jack said yes. Gus stood at the table, toying with
a cue stick, his eyes straying lazily over the billiard balls
scattered about the table in the array of an unfinished game.
Bigger rose and sent the balls whirling with a sweep of his
hand, then looked straight at Gus as the gleaming balls kissed
and rebounded from the rubber cushions, zig-zagging across
the table’s green cloth. Even though Bigger had asked Gus
to be with him in the robbery, the fear that Gus would really
go made the muscles of Bigger’s stomach tighten; he was hot
all over. He felt as if he wanted to sneeze and could not; only
it was more nervous than wanting to sneeze. He grew hotter,
tighter; his nerves were taut and his teeth were on edge. He
felt that something would soon snap within him.
“Goddammit! Say something, somebody!”
“I’m in,” Jack said again.
“rU go if the rest goes,” G.H. said.
Gus stood without speaking and Bigger felt a curious
sensation — half-sensual, half-thoughtful. He was divided and
pulled agamst himself. He had handled things just nght so
far; all but Gus had consented. The way things stood now
there were three against Gus, and that was just as he had
wanted it to be. Bigger was afraid of robbing a white man and
he knew that Gus was afraid, too. Blum’s store was smaU and
Blum was alone, but Bigger could not think of robbing him
without being flanked by his three pals. But even with his paU
he was afraid. He had argued all of his pals but one into
consenting to the robbery, and toward the lone man who held
out he felt a hot hate and fear; he had transferred his fear
of the whites to Gus. He hated Gus because he knew that
Gus was afraid, as even he was; and he feared Gus because
he felt that Gus would consent and then he would be com-
pelled to go through with the robbery. Like a man about to
shoot himself and dreading to shoot and yet knowing that he
has to shoot and feeling it all at once and powerfully, he
watched Gus and waited for him to say yes. But Gus did not
speak. Bigger’s teeth clamped so tight that his jaws ached. He
edged toward Gus, not looking at Gus, but feeling the pres-
ence of Gus over all his body, through him, in and out of
him, and hating himself and Gus because he felt it. Then he
could not stand it any longer. The hysterical tensity of his
nerves urged him to speak, to free himself. He faced Gus,
his eyes red with anger and fear, his fists clenched and held
stiffly to his sides.
“’i’^ou black sonofabitch,” he said in a voice that did not
vary in tone. “You scared ’cause he’s a white man.”
“Don’t cuss me. Bigger,” Gus said quietly.
“I am cussing you!’’
“You don’t have to cuss me,” Gus said.
“Then why don’t you use that black tongue of yours?”
Bigger asked. “Why don’t you say what you going to do?”
“I don’t have to use my tongue unless I want to!”
“You bastard! You scared bastard!”
“You ain’t my boss,” Gus said.
“You yellow!” Bigger said. “You scared to rob a r^diite
man.”
“Aw, Bigger. Don’t say that,” G.H. said. “Leave ’im alone.”
“He’s yellow,” Bigger said “He won’t go with us.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t go,” Gus said.
“Then, for chrissakes, say what you going to do,” Bigger
said.
Gus leaned on his cue stick and gazed at Bigger and Bigger’s
Stomach tightened as though he were expecting a blow and
were getting ready for it. His fists clenched harder In a split
second he felt how his fist and arm and body would feel if
he hit Gus squarely in the mouth, drawing blood; Gus would
fall and he would walk out and the whole thing would be
over and the robbery would not take place. And his thinking
and feeling in this way made the choking tightness rising
from the pit of his stomach to his throat slacken a little.
“You see, Bigger,” began Gus in a tone that was a com-
promise between kindness and pride. “You see. Bigger, you
the tause of all the trouble we ever have. It’s your hot temper.
Now, how come you want to cuss me? Ain’t 1 got a right to
make up my mind? Naw; that ain’t your way. You start cuss-
ing. You say I’m scared. It’s you who’s scared. You scared
I’m going to say yes and you’U have to go through with the
job. . .
“Say that again! Say that again and I’ll take one of these
balls and sink it in your goddamn mouth,” Bigger said, his
pride wounded to the quick.
“Aw, for chrissakes,” Jack said.
“You see how he is,” Gus said.
“Why don’t you say what you going to do?” Bigger de-
manded.
“Aw, I’m going with you-all,” Gus said in a nervous tone
that sought to hide itself; a tone that hurried on to other
things. “I’m going, but Bigger don’t have to act like that. He
don’t have to cuss me.”
“Why didn’t you say that at first?” Bigger asked; his anger
amounted almost to frenzy. “You make a man want to sock
youl”
http://daydreaminstudios.org/free-library-read/richard-wright-native-son
References:
http://daydreaminstudios.org/free-library-read/richard-wright-native-son
https://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/wright/wright_bio.html
https://sobrief.com/books/native-son