Native Son Essays (927 words) - Literature, American Literature

Native Son Richard Wright The Theme of fate and free will Prof J Mkhize ECL310 E Kyle Keens 201400329 Plot Summary Bigger Thomas, an African American who lives in an impoverished neighborhood , is employed by a prosperous white family , the Dalton's, who live in the suburbs of a major city. The money Bigger makes at his new job will be used to supplement his mother's income. As a chauffeur, he is directed by the father of the family to take Mary, the daughter, to the university. Instead, Mary decides to pick up her Communist boyfriend, Jan, and to spend the time drinking and partying . Afterward Bigger takes a very drunk Mary home and while attempting to sneak out the house passed a blind Mrs Dalton he accidently smothers Mary and kills her. In his panic he disposes of her body in the house furnace and attempts to frame her boyfriend Jan. Bigger is found out and captured by the police. Mr. Boris Max, a lawyer friend of Jan and also a communist, tries to help Bigger and agrees to defend him claiming that Bigger is a product of his environment. Bigger is ultimately fo und guilty but he is able to view white people as individuals and equals as opposed to how he viewed them as a singular force of oppression before. The Theme of Fate and Free will Wright portrays a character that is bound by fate. Although bigger is given the illusion of choices he is ultimately on a set path. This path is as a result of the racist capitalist society in which he lives. The purpose of the novel is revealed when Mr. Max delivers his speech to the court while defending Bigger's actions. Bigger is said to be a product of his environment, a "native son" who as a result of the oppression of rich whites in America is left with no other choice than to steal or kill. Bigger's murder of Mary Dalton can then be seen as not entirely his fault. It is the fault of society, a society that has pushed American black people so far that their free will is limited to such an extent that it would appear non-existent. This lack of free will is shown in the interaction between Mary, Jan and Bigger. The two force Bigger to take them to a "black" neighbourhood and although he feels incredibly uncomfortable Bigger feels he canno t object to their wishes. Later when Bigger attempts to leave a drunk Mary at her home he is trapped by her blind mother. The racist society and the fact of the situation leaves Bigger to assume he will be in serious trouble if he is caught. This leads to him smothering Mary to keep her from giving him away and accidentally kills her. With no other choice he is left to accept this and try to get away. Bigger is made a murderer by the society in which he lives and that is the argument Wright makes with this novel. Wright being a Marxist argues that capitalist society seeks to impoverish those it can to make others rich and successful. In the novel the city of Chicago is run by a group of white business men who in order to keep black people poor make sure that they cannot live in the predominantly white neighbourhoods and are forced to live in overpriced neighbourhoods that they own including Bigger's apartment building which is owned by his employer Mr Dalton . The capitalist system allows only a few to succeed in life and Wright makes a point to show a character who has been disillusioned by this system and now believes that there is no hope for anything better in their life and so his free will has in a sense been taken away leaving him with little options in life and as Wright believes the inevitability of becoming a murderer. Criticisms Wright has been criticised as writing native son only to promote communism. Wright , at the time of writing the novel , was a member of the communist party and many including Kinnamon believe that Mr. Max's speech in the novel had no