Native Son Essay: The Lack Of Hope In Bigger

The Lack of Hope in Bigger Richard Wright’s Native Son tells the story of an African American teenager named Bigger Thomas. In Wright’s story, he tells about the struggles Bigger must face as being a “black” man in a society dominated by white people. Bigger tries to break away from society thinks he will become, but in the end becomes the image of what white society fears most from black men. Wright did not use Bigger as a hero in his novel, but instead uses Bigger as a lesson for his targeted audience. In this novel, Wright creates Bigger to follow the stereotypes and pressures that white society has forced upon Bigger Thomas and the rest of his family. Despite the reader wanting Bigger to overcome the obstacles and challenges society has forced upon him, Wright uses Bigger as a symbol of lack of hope that African Americans having during this time period. Bigger is used as a symbol of hopelessness when he talks about how he cannot be a pilot, how powerless he is about his family’s living situation, and the afterthoughts Bigger has after murdering Mary Dalton. Wright first shows an indication of hopelessness in the beginning of the novel when Bigger is discussing the idea of being a pilot. Bigger says, “I could fly a plane if I had the chance” (Wright 17). In my opinion, this line of the novel indicates that Bigger has …show more content…
Ellis wrote an essay titled “Boys in the Hood: Black Male Community in Richard Wright’s Native Son” and states “For Bigger and his friends (Gus, G. H., and Jack), Chicago’s Black Belt afforded virtually no opportunities to gain access to industrial jobs or vocational training programs” (Ellis). What Ellis is saying is that even if Bigger wanted to take the chance to become a pilot the neighborhood he lived in did not give him the opportunity. Basically, Ellis is saying that the neighborhood that Bigger lives in leaves him and his friends on their own to find their own jobs and these jobs are jobs that do not require