The Aphasia Tragedy Of The "other"

Richard Wright is an outstanding African-American writer. His masterpiece Native Son is considered as a milestone in the history of American literature. The appearance of the novel shocked both American literary circle and the whole American society. The overwhelming influence has not only made it one of the most classic works but also an important research issue in the field of American literature. A few critics have explored the novel from ethnic and psychological perspective as well as feminism and existentialism. This thesis intends to interpret Native Son in the perspective of Postcolonialism within the frameworks of Edward W. Said’s Orientalism and Gayatric C. Spivak’s theory of Subaltern, with the focus on the issues:the "Other" image, the Subaltern identity and their "Speaking".This thesis comprises six parts, with four chapters between the introduction and the conclusion.Chapter one is about the literature review. It focuses on the studies of Native Son at home and abroad.Chapter two concentrates on the main theories of Postcolonialism, especially on the viewpoints of two postcolonial critics—Edward W. Said and Gayatric C. Spivak. Edward W. Said’s main ideas are expressed explicitly in his monograph Orientalism (1978), he puts forward the essential concept of "Other". Gayatric C. Spivak focuses her studies on the Subaltern, which are best stated in her essay "Can the Subaltern Speak?"(1985). Spivak’s Subaltern theory basically focuses on the existence and diversity of the Subaltern from the viewpoint of Postcolonial theory. Spivak points out that the Subaltern utter no voices under the mainstream culture, she also makes it clear in her theory that the Subaltern cannot be spoken for.Chapter three deals with the "Other" image of the blacks with Said’s Orientalism and the concept of "Other" by expanding the dimension of "Other". It analyses the black male Bigger Thomas’"Other" image of whites and blacks. It also analyses three black female’s "Other" image of the whites---Mrs. Thomas, Vera and Bessie.Chapter four probes into the Subaltern issues in the novel with the ideas from Spivak’s famous essay "Can the Subaltern Speak?". The black male Bigger Thomas, facing the oppression from the mainstream culture, fails to utter his voices completely due to no willing listeners, despite that he has a strong sense of rebellion. Confronted by the mainstream culture, three black female have no independent self-consciousness to resist or voice, thus becoming the silent and obedient Subaltern. Although the intellectuals like Jan and Max try to help Bigger, yet they fail to speak for him because of their own consciousness and the communication barriers. The black Subalerns’tragedy is inevitable because of their aphasia, their failure to utter their own voices or to be spoken for.The last part is the conclusion. This thesis has primarily analysed Native Son in the perspective of Postcolonialism within the frameworks of Edward W. Said’s Orientalism and Gayatric C. Spivak’s theory of Subaltern. The "Other" image of blacks and the "Speaking" of the Subaltern analysed in the thesis deserves our reflection. The interpretation of the novel indicates that the Subaltern should keep their independent consciousness and maintain their right for voice when facing the mainstream culture; meanwhile, the mainstream culture is supposed to offer them fair opportunity and sufficient space for voice instead. Only by such way can the blacks’aphasia situation be changed. Although the four blacks in the novel cannot change their tragedy fate, yet nowadays the American blacks’social position has been improved a lot, which is the result of such kind of efforts. The American President Obama is a good case in point.This thesis aims to enriching the perspective of the study of the novel and, to a certain extent, bringing some enlightenment for the establishment of a harmonious international community.