Native Son Essay

676 Words3 Pages
In 1940, author Richard Wright, published his novel Native Son. The novel tells the story of Bigger Thomas, a young black American living with his mothers, siblings in a one room flat in the poverty stricken part of Chicago. (need to use a quote for the book) Throughout the novel, many elements are used to help tell the story of Bigger Thomas. One element that Richard Wright uses is the tone of the story. Tone is the way the author expresses the attitude or mood of the narrative throughout the novel or story. The point of view, the diction, and the level of writing can express tone. In addition to tone, Wright uses symbolism in his story; this imagery helps the reader see items in a different perspective. One other element that is used in Native Son is the style that tells the novel. With these three elements, Richard Wright illustrates the life, hardship and influences of Bigger Thomas, and the down fall of his life in Native Son. Thomas Bigger is a dislikeable and cold character throughout the novel. We recognize that it is not his doing. The fact the Bigger is poor and uneducated; we recognize the circumstances have created his journey towards crime and his controlling bully personality. Bigger is mean to his little sister, cruel to his friends, and uncaring to his girlfriend. This uncaring personality is shown to the reader during a conversation Bigger has with his mother, (need to use quote from the book ) Eventually, we understand the circumstances Bigger lives in and sees himself in. We come to this conclusion in part by the narrator who explains how shame and fear dominate Bigger’s life, causing him to make the decisions he does. Symbolism is the use of symbols or signs, to represent ideas, qualities and thoughts. Richard Wright uses a black rat, as one of these symbols. The opening scene of the novel, a rat in his family’s one-room apartment, (need to
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