Stages Essay -- Essays Papers

Stages Richard Wright's Native Son provides us with an exemplary example of the way the black race was conditioned in the 1930's. He does this by telling us about an adult black male named Bigger Thomas. Wright titles each book in the novel the way he does to give insight into the various actions and feelings of Bigger. Book one is entitled Fear. It provides us with an explanation of why Bigger is afraid to do many things that he has a chance to do. Wright explains that Bigger is afraid because he is conditioned by white society to act this way. In Fear, Wright shows us that in actuality, Bigger is afraid to rob Blum's store. Bigger tries to mask his fear by implying that Gus is the one who is scared. They are shooting a game of pool when he asks Gus if he still wants to do the job. When Gus says no Bigger replies, "How come? You scared ‘cause he's a white man?" When Gus retaliates, Bigger tries to accuse Jack and G.H. He makes the statement, "Cause he's white, everybody's scared." Wright emphasizes bigger's fear again when he arrives at the Dalton's. Bigger is scared because he thinks that someone will believe that he is trying to rob or rape somebody. Bigger feels that he should have stayed among his own people in order to escape the feeling of fear that he has in his heart. On ce again Wright emphasizes the title. He does this when Jan and Mary ask Bigger to eat with them. Bigger stutterers, "I-I . . . . I don't want to go in." With this statement Bigger shows how much he fears the white race. In this book of Native Son Bigger proves that his heart is full of fear when he burns Mary's body to prevent anyone from blaming her so called "disappearance" on him. It is clear that Wright entitled book one Fear to emphasize why bigger's heart is full of fear and what he does to cope with this fear. Book two of Wright's Native Son is entitled Flight. Like Fear, Flight also has a specific meaning. Flight begins with Bigger at his home asleep. He leaps from bed with thoughts of how he killed Mary Dalton flooding his mind. He begins to think that he can do what he wants and not get caught. After killing Mary, bigger begins to thirst for more. When he returns to the Dalton's he wonders if he will have to kill Peggy. He thinks that she might accidentally see parts of Mary's body in the furnace. Bessie inadvertently gives him an i... ...ming, "You can't make me do nothing but die!" Bigger believes that he has no reason to live. After a long heart felt talk with Max, Bigger realizes that he really wants to live, not die. He sobs, "I don't want to die, I don't want to die." The trial is now over and his fate has been determined. "In Number 666-983, indictment for murder, the sentence, of the Court is that you, bigger Thomas, shall die on or before midnight of Friday, March third, in a manner prescribed by the laws of this state." It is clear to see that Wright entitled book three fate to emphasize the fact that Bigger's fate lies in the hands of the people that put such extreme amounts of fear into his heart. So, in conclusion, Richard Wright entitles each book in his novel Native Son for a specific reason. He gives book one the title Fear in order to provide insight into why bigger's heart is full of fear and how he copes with his fear. Wright titles book two Flight in order to emphasize how Bigger becomes hungry for more and what he does to satisfy this hunger. Book three is given the title of Fate to show that in fact, Bigger's fate lies in the hands of the people that caused him to kill in the first