Violence as a symbolic act and its potential as a change agent in R.Wrights Native Son In our days, the social role of individual and the collective violence tend to be downplayed by the modern sociology. Violence is described as something that sometimes accompanies social processes, without defining their essence. Some even suggest that up until now the history was being set on the wrong course, since it was filled with much cruelty. Yet, it is a fact that without the violence we wouldnt have positive changes occurred in our society, because very often the application of it is only the way to deal with retrograde forces that are trying to prevent a social progress. Many critics have pointed out to the fact that Richard Wrights novel Native Son is filled with unnecessary and gruesome violence scene. In it, the author had embarked on very complicated task justifying Native Son main character Thomas Biggers actions from the social prospective, without trying to hide repulsion towards him as a person. It is one of the reasons that contributed to the novels controversial nature.
Given the fact that Wright remained a faithful communist throughout his live, it is understandable why he thinks of the social circumstances as exclusive defining factors of ones behavior. The modern science has long ago proved this approach as hopelessly naive. Nevertheless, the true value of the book lies in the fact that the author portrays violence as an integral part of ones self-realization. On the surface, it appears that Biggers benevolent behavior comes as a result of his frustration with white-dominated society. This is a classical way to interpret his actions, in order to find a social justification for them, which is even applied to explain what prompted him to cut off Marys head. But in my opinion, the issue here is much more complicated.
The Essay on Sympathy In Wrights Native Son
In Native Son, Richard Wright introduces Bigger Thomas, a liar and a thief. Wright evokes sympathy for this man despite the fact that he commits two murders. Through the reactions of others to his actions and through his own reactions to what he has done, the author creates compassion in the reader towards Bigger to help convey the desperate state of Black Americans in the 1930's. The simplest ...
It is not by accident that author mentions Bigger as having acquired a metaphysical identity, after the murder of Mary and Bessie: There was something he knew and something he felt; something the world gave him and something he himself had. . . Never in all his life, with this black skin of his, had the two worlds, thought and feeling, will and mind, aspiration and satisfaction, been together; never had he felt a sense of wholeness (Wright, p. 235).
It is an irony, that even though Wright suggest that Biggers violence is rather consequence than the motive, the reader comes to the opposite conclusion. Just as in Natural Born Killers, the violence in Wrights novel is self-efficient.
Yet, Biggers brutality can be described as healthy, because he acts as a representative of suppressed racial minority that has more vitality than the dominant one. Malcolm X used to stress out that the process of Black self-awakening will be something different then how it is envisioned by the apologists of multiculturalism. The much violence will occur before African-American acquire equal political rights with the Whites. Despite popular opinion, the rights are not something that is given its taken. Still, in order to take rights, the racial or social minority needs to make an opposing majority to recognize its political claims as valid. The best way to do it is to unleash violence, because it is the most efficient tool to deal with majoritys ignorance. Thomas Bigger kills rapes and destroys.
Also, it is fact that the African-Americans are more pre-inclined towards committing the crime than White people. Nevertheless, the violence on their part is a part of their progress, as a racial group. While Whites decline, because of low birth rate and lack of social vitality, Blacks continuously increase their power and influence. Therefore, their violence can be thought of as generally progressive, while White mans brutality is nothing but part of their degradation as a racial group. In my opinion, Wright has sublimated his own violent psychological drives in the character of Bigger. There is no doubt that Biggers suggestion live fast, die young, make a pretty corpse expresses the authors own philosophy. His fascination with death prompts him to continuously indulge into describing graphic details of Biggers murders: The head hung limply on the newspapers, the curly black hair dragging about in blood.
The Essay on Black Or White Racial Profiling
Black or White Allison Davi Picture this hypothetical situation: A black man and a white man both driving during the day time. The white man is driving directly in front of the black man at 72 mph, clearly speeding, while the black man is driving at 46 mph, both in a 45 mph speed limit zone. Sirens begin to blare as the red and blue lights emerge from the side of the road. The black man, relieved ...
He whacked harder, but the head would not come off. . . . He saw a hatchet. Yes! That would do it.
. . (Wright, p. 200).
Some of the critics used to say that Native Son violence is not socially representative and rather reflects authors own worldview. But it has to be remembered that he wrote his novel in 1939, the time when world was about to witness the biggest outbreak of violence in its history.
Therefore, we can say that Native Son is an accumulation of socio-political moods, which prevailed in America at the time. The violence in Native Son, despite its graphic nature, does not contribute to readers depression. This is because we think of it as the agent of society change, before we get to be appalled by reading about its practical applications. There is absolutely no alternative for Bigger, so we can think of him as the fatalist character. Yet, he is better off having no choice only through violence he can realize itself: He had done this. He had brought all this about.
In all of his life these two murders were the most meaningful things that had ever happened to him (Wright, p.311).
The paradox and the tragedy here is that the metaphysical freedom for Bigger can be only accomplished if he embraces his destiny. Through Bigger author applies the same idea to the society as whole only violence can serve as catalyst of social changes. This goes along with Wrights communist worldview, which praise social violence as the most important pre-condition of revolutionary situation.
Bibliography:
Gayle, Addison Jr., ed. The Black Aesthetic. Garden City, NJ: Doubleday, 1971 Slotkin, Richard.
Regeneration Through Violence: The Mythology of the American Frontier, 1600-1860. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan UP, 1973. Wright, Richard Native Son New York: Harper & Row, 1940..
The Essay on Wrights Native Son Capitalist Or Communism
Wright's 'Native Son': Capitalist or Communism? Was Richard Wright's Native Son a story about his views towards Capitalism and Communism? Did Richard Wright want to show the good and bad points towards Capitalism and Communism? Or was this novel just about how a young man went through life and how society made him. Richard Wright's Native Son shows that he used the Dalton's, Thomas's, and Jan ...
