Native Son by Richard Wright

815 Words2 Pages

People’s negative actions at times are products of baneful expectations. Native Son, is a novel written by Richard Wright. This novel focuses on Bigger Thomas’s struggle when living life in Chicago in the 1930s, with the burden of a racist society. Thomas’s sins are evoked by society’s negative influence due to society’s idea of equality.

Thomas’s sins are evoked by society because society besieges Thomas’s conscious. Bigger Thomas is the oldest offspring in a poor African American family, he is constantly depended on financially but hardly commits. A mother’s love is never expressed to Thomas, instead he is told multiple times that he is an ignoble child due to his lack of docility. Thomas hangs out with his friends as a form of releasing stress. One afternoon Thomas and his friend, Gus are conversating about their society’s discrimination,Thomas vents to Gus by stating, “It’s like fire...And sometimes you can’t hardly breath...That’s when i feel like something awful’s going to happen to me. It’s like I was going to do something I can’t help/”(24). Society’s negative influence besieges Thomas conscience because when society prohibits things from blacks it hurts Thomas. When Thomas hurts he lacks the knowledge of positively mending his wounds because love has not been expressed towards him. The only solution of gratifying his pain that Thomas can use is causing harm to others, because society accepts this heinous behavior from blacks. Negativity is expected from blacks even before they are born according to society, this influence abates Thomas to commit harm. When Thomas states that an ominous encounter is going to occur to him, it shows that Thomas is aware of the hostility future that blacks are destined to. Thomas’s sins...

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...ve besieges Thomas’s mind, does not accept blacks, and sets blacks up for failure. Thomas’s sins are a product of society’s perspective besieging Thomas’s mind because black’s discrimination harms Thomas’s health. Thomas’s sins are a product of society’s perspective when not accepting blacks because Thomas expresses his crave of acceptance through violence. Thomas’s sins are a product of society’s perspective when setting up blacks for failure because Thomas does not get to experience optimism for his future. When one is constantly reminded of one’s flaws, the possibility of a positive outcome decreases as opposed to a negative outcome. Thomas’s race is discriminated daily by copious aspects, this burden then abates Thomas to commit sins. Race should not be the judge of acceptance.

Works Cited

Wright, Richard. Native Son,. New York: Harper & Bros., 1940. Print.

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