Critical Prespective Native Son

Critical Prespective Native Son

Richard Wright marked the beginning of a new era in black fiction. He was one of

the first American writers of his time to confront his readers with the effects of racism. Wright had a way of telling his reader about his own life through his writing. He is best known for his novel, Native Son, which is deeply rooted in his personal life and the times in which he lived. This paper will discuss this outstanding American writer, his highly acclaimed novel, Native Son, and how his life influenced his writing.

Richard Nathaniel Wright, was born on September 4, 1908 in Roxie, Mississippi.

His father was a sharecropper and his mother a schoolteacher. In search for better

employment his father moved the family to Memphis, Tennessee. While in Memphis, his

father worked as a night porter in a hotel and his mother worked as a cook for a

Caucasian family. Shortly after their move to Memphis, Wright’s father deserted his

family. His mother then tried to find any work she could find to support her family. Then, at the age of seven his mother became ill and was unable to financially support her family. As a result, the family had to move to Jackson, Mississippi to live with relatives. Wright remained in Jackson until 1925 (Walker, 13).

In 1925, Wright left Jackson and headed as far as his money could take him, and

that was Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis was the exact same city in which his father had

taken his family to find a better life and where he abandoned them. Wright’s first trip to Memphis ended in disappointment, desertion, and deprivation. While there Wright found

work as a messenger for an optical company. He lived in Memphis for approximately

two years. During that time, he witnessed the deep and violent South which eventually

would permanently scar him for life. Margaret Walker wrote:

I am convinced that the best of Richard Wright’s fiction grew out of the

first nineteen years of his life. All he ever wrote of great strength and

terrifying beauty must be understood in this light. His subjects and themes,

his folk references and history, his characters and places come from the

South of his childhood and adolescence. His morbid interest in

violence-lynching, rape, and murder-goes back to the murky twilight of a

southern past. Out of this racial nightmare marked with racial suffering,