“Native Son” Analysis

Introduction

Works of literature have always come in handy in explaining the varied aspects of the society within which the writers, poets or authors live. This was the case for Richard Wright, whose 1940’s novel “Native Son” outlined the conflicts that existed between whites and blacks through the story of a poor black man named Bigger. The analysis of this novel has mainly centered on the manner in which the environment shapes the character and experiences of an individual in the world. However, this is not the case for Van Hoose (46), who argues that as much as the environment may have played a role in the tribulations that face Bigger, his consciousness also plays a key role in charting a course for his life in the world. Van Hoose examines the interplay of colors in the novel and blends it with ideas pertaining to the perception of the same in relation to power and character. As he notes, whiteness and blackness are associated not only with the individual’s bodies but also the environment and social structure at large. He, however, negates the depiction of Bigger as a passive actor in charting his destiny where forces beyond and external to him (primarily from the environment) determined the course that his life took.

One of the key strengths of the analysis with which the author manages to tackle the issue of race and its association to power. Van Hoose presents a clear departure from the common perception of individuals being passive players in determining the course of their lives by examining the analysis that other scholars have provided on the novel “Native Son”. The incorporation of other scholars’ analysis on the same novel underlines an element of comprehensiveness.

On the same note, Van Hoose seems clear, at least at the starting stages, on what he aims at rebuffing. He manages to blend the issue of race, with images that have been depicted in the novel and gives a clear association between these and social constructions. He feels that it is imperative that one accounts for the importance of the fact that pictoral images of white and black, which have displaced the abstract social constructions, often pair the two together and having the same linked presence in similar single images, thoughts and moments (Van Hoose 49).

While Van Hoose’s argument may not be supported by many, I feel that they are perfectly appropriate. It is worth noting that as much as Bigger may have been impacted on by the environment within which he lived, he was by nature a killer and a beast. This is especially considering that before being employed in Mr. Dalton’s house, he had conspired with his friends to take part in robbery targeting white men. On the same note, he had received perfectly nice treatment from the Daltons with the daughter offering to open up his eyes and getting him to join a union. However, he is blind to this nice treatment, making an active choice to have these people as the objects of his hatred. As much as the death of Mary Dalton may have been an accident, his subsequent actions are not accidental, rather they are active decisions that he makes consciously. He chooses to lie about Jan having taken Mary, while knowing full well that he had killed her. On being discovered as the killer, Bigger runs away with his girlfriend, who he later on rapes and kills. These actions and the reasoning behind them show an active participant in the course that his life takes and the decisions that he makes to this effect.

Works cited

Van Hoose, Eric. “Native Sun: Lightness And Darkness In Native Son.” Black Scholar 41.2 (2011): 46-54. Academic Search Premier.