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Native Son is the most powerful book I have ever read about the plight of AfricanAmericans in the 20th century. It is a naturalistic novel that focuses on how our environment determines who we are.
The main character is Bigger Thomas, a young, uneducated black man
living in the slums of Chicago during the 1930’s. He lives with his
mother, brother and sister in a dirty, rat-infested apartment. There is
a scene in the beginning of the novel where he tries to catch a rat in
the apartment, which exemplifies the squalid conditions he faces.Bigger
lives in constant fear of white people. He begins a fight with his
friends because he is too scared to rob a white man with them. He and
his family are segregated from society and he lacks the motivation and
means for a better life. Bigger is given an
opportunity of what may be a better life when he gets the job of a
chauffeur for a Mr. Dalton. Mr. Dalton is a wealthy businessman who is
sympathetic to blacks. Mr. Dalton tries to help black people, but his
methods are ineffective. He tries to buy blacks ping-pong tables and
other items, but he does not tackle the root of their problems. They
live in squalid conditions and are degraded by society. Mr. Dalton owns
the complex where Bigger lives, but he does not do anything to improve
the living conditions there. Mr. Dalton’s daughter Mary also wants to
help Bigger, but she is so naïve that she does not understand his
problems. She introduces Bigger to her communist friend Jan. Jan wants
Bigger to join the Communist Party because he believes it will give
Bigger a chance for equality. Bigger does not even know what a
communist is, but associates it with being something negative because
this is what he saw in the movies. Jan just like Mr. Dalton and Mary
are unable to help Bigger. One day...