Free Essays on Native Son

Richard Wright’s Native Son Set in the 1930’s Native Son, by Richard Wright, is a powerful novel that has meaning today. It is an unsparing reflection of the poverty and feelings of hopelessness of African Americans. It gives a visualization of what it meant then and what it means today to be black in America. Never has their been a book that so clearly accounted for the African American feelings toward white people. The hate and fear that brewed inside of African Americans was unbelievably strong, yet very appropriate. Native Son captures readers and gives and in-depth view to the feelings of people at this time and their reactions to the conflict between people of different backgrounds and different beliefs. The violence depicted in Native Son, although quite grotesque, is necessary to deliver the full meaning that Richard Wright wishes to convey to his readers. The main character Bigger Thomas, a black man, has been robbed of his dignity, his pride, and his identity. He lashes out in fear. A fear that furthers his self-destruction while giving him an identity separate than that of other black people. Three subparts to Native Son shows the transformation of Bigger’s fear into something that gave him a sense of individuality. He struggles to lose this fear and claim his sense of self. Fate, part one of Native Son, tells the reader about Bigger Thomas. Despite the loathsome qualities of Bigger, he represents the victimization of black people. Bigger struggles with his fear on a daily basis. The anger expressed by Bigger is nothing but an outlet for his fear. The first representation of how Bigger’s fear will play a role in his death comes into play during the first few pages of the book. It is while killing a rat The rat’s belly pulsed with fear. Bigger advanced a step and the rat emitted a long thin song of defiance, its black beady eyes glittering, its tiny forefeet pawing the air... Free Essays on Native Son Free Essays on Native Son Richard Wright’s Native Son Set in the 1930’s Native Son, by Richard Wright, is a powerful novel that has meaning today. It is an unsparing reflection of the poverty and feelings of hopelessness of African Americans. It gives a visualization of what it meant then and what it means today to be black in America. Never has their been a book that so clearly accounted for the African American feelings toward white people. The hate and fear that brewed inside of African Americans was unbelievably strong, yet very appropriate. Native Son captures readers and gives and in-depth view to the feelings of people at this time and their reactions to the conflict between people of different backgrounds and different beliefs. The violence depicted in Native Son, although quite grotesque, is necessary to deliver the full meaning that Richard Wright wishes to convey to his readers. The main character Bigger Thomas, a black man, has been robbed of his dignity, his pride, and his identity. He lashes out in fear. A fear that furthers his self-destruction while giving him an identity separate than that of other black people. Three subparts to Native Son shows the transformation of Bigger’s fear into something that gave him a sense of individuality. He struggles to lose this fear and claim his sense of self. Fate, part one of Native Son, tells the reader about Bigger Thomas. Despite the loathsome qualities of Bigger, he represents the victimization of black people. Bigger struggles with his fear on a daily basis. The anger expressed by Bigger is nothing but an outlet for his fear. The first representation of how Bigger’s fear will play a role in his death comes into play during the first few pages of the book. It is while killing a rat The rat’s belly pulsed with fear. Bigger advanced a step and the rat emitted a long thin song of defiance, its black beady eyes glittering, its tiny forefeet pawing the air... Free Essays on Native Son In Richard Wright’s novel, Native Son, Bigger Thomas could possibly be classified as guilty but mentally ill by today’s standards. Stress, anxiety, and aggression in Thomas’ social and romantic relationships, living conditions, family life, and childhood and adolescent experiences are all factors. The older basis for pleading insanity requires the person to be â€Å"so severely disturbed at the time of his act that he did not know what he was doing, or if he did know what he was doing, did not know that it was wrong†. Some states have also added â€Å"irresistible impulse†, which states that â€Å"some mentally ill individuals may respond correctly when asked if a particular act is morally right or wrong but may be unable to control their behavior† (Atkinson et al. 632-633). Although standards have changed a bit, the idea behind the insanity plea remains the same. In the 1970’s, not all, but most state and federal courts adopted a new legal definition proposed by the American Law Institute (ALI) stating, â€Å"A person is not responsible for criminal conduct if at the time of such conduct, as a result of mental disease or defect, he lacks substantial capacity either to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law.† The ALI uses words like â€Å"substantial† to suggest that â€Å"any incapacity is not enough to avoid criminal responsibility but that total incapacity is not required either,† and the word â€Å"appreciate† rather than â€Å"know† suggests that â€Å"intellectual awareness of right or wrong is not enough; individuals must have some understanding of the moral or legal consequences of their behavior before they can be held criminally responsible † (Atkinson et al. 632-633). Guilty but mentally ill is one more option. A verdict of guilty but mentally ill is found â€Å"when a defendant is found to have a substantial disorder of thought of mood that afflicted him at the ...