On The Characterization Of Bigger Thomas In Native Son

Richard Wright (1908-1960) is one of the famous American black writers in the Twentieth Century. Native Son is his masterpiece that is thought of as the landmark of American black literature. After its publication, the novel shakes the American literary circle and American society as well. Much of the success of the novel results from its characterization of Bigger Thomas, the protagonist of the novel.As a black writer, Wright knows American social environment well. He can understand the life of the blacks and give the reasons that cause their subhuman life. The protagonist, Bigger Thomas, in Native Son is a product of the American society. He represents the entrapped and dehumanized Negroes, who cannot escape from their doomed life. But he is different from other Negroes; he rebels against racial discrimination in a violent way. His final death means his fulfillment of self-realization.The thesis is divided into five parts. Part I discusses the social and cultural background of the novel; Part II demonstrates Bigger as a pathological monster outwardly; Part III discusses Bigger as a real human being inwardly; Part IV, further, displays the bigger voice of Bigger's behaviors for he blows both the blacks and the whites; and part V again shows Bigger as a three-dimensional character and the social influence of his behaviors. In a word, Native Son is a famous realistic novel that has deep social significance and Bigger himself shows Wright's view on the problem of racial discrimination.