Recovery From Trauma: A Traumatic Study Of The Protagonist In Native Son

Richard Wright,hailed as the father of Afro-American literature,in his works,vividly depicts the living predicaments of blacks and vehemently condemns the racial oppression,discrimination and segregation existing in American society.Among them,his masterpiece Native Son,as a pioneer in the field of American protest novel,stands out as a landmark in American literature.In the novel,Wright,through denying the submissive Negro image of Uncle Tom in traditional black literature,portrays a new rebellious character named Bigger Thomas.In the previous researches on this novel,most of them focus on the characterization of Bigger in the light of naturalism,post-colonialism,Marxism and existentialism,but few pays much attention to his plights and abnormal psychology from the perspective of trauma theory.This thesis,based on close reading of the text,adopts trauma theory as framework to explore reasons for the protagonist's trauma,his traumatic symptoms and his recovery from trauma,showing Wright's concern for blacks' living predicaments and his seeking for ways to heal traumas of blacks: the construction of a warm family and a harmonious society is crucial for the recovery of blacks' psychological traumas.This thesis consists of three chapters apart from the introduction and the conclusion.The introduction part gives a sketch of Richard Wright and his literary career,sums up the study of Native Son at home and abroad,and provides the methodology.Chapter one discusses traumatic events that Bigger has undergone in the society as well as in his family.On the one hand,Bigger is at every moment persecuted by racism;on the other hand,growing up in a love-absent family where his father is dead in his childhood,Bigger is deeply hurt.Chapter two focuses on Bigger's traumatic syndromes,including the morbid fear and the extreme hatred towards “whiteness”,uncontrollable violent behaviors,alienation from whites,family members as well as black community,and disbelief in God.What's worse,he displays the dissociativepsychology which is reflective of his split consciousness.Chapter three explores Bigger's ways to recover from trauma.With the help of two whites,Jan and Max,he establishes his sense of security,which helps him to get over his fear and indignation.By communicating with the lawyer Max,he begins to narrate his traumatic experiences.After recognizing the existence value in society,he restores the connections with both family and community.With a new sense of self,he takes responsibility for his crimes and eventually works through trauma.The conclusion offers a brief summary of major points of this thesis and expounds the argument of this study.By exploring Bigger's trauma and recovery,this thesis aims to show Wright's concern about the living predicaments of his race and his seeking for ways to heal blacks.Meanwhile,Wright's solution for traumatized blacks is a good reflection of his yearning and seeking for a warm family as well as a harmonious society.