Study On The Development Of Self-awareness Of Richard Wright In Black Boy From The Perspective Of Lefebvre’s Theory Of Space

Richard Wright,one of the representative writers of contemporary African American literature,is regarded as the first peak during its turbulent development.His autobiography Black Boy which depicts the life of black southerners is considered to be the most permanent and valuable work.Nowadays,scholars and critics have mainly analyzed the work from the perspectives of narrative structure,themes and ethnic issues,the spatial issues contained in it,however,does not catch scholars’enough attention.This thesis attempts to employ Lefebvre’s theory of the Trinity of Space to explore the multiple spatial elements embodied in the text,including black and white representations of spaces,heterogeneous representational spaces and active spatial practices,so as to reveal the development of Wright’s self-awareness under the spatial vision.This thesis argues that representations of space is embodies the imposing power of mainstream concepts over Wright,forcing him into a marginalized existence in white society physically,economically and ideologically.Meanwhile,he is also stuck in the isolated existence from black community as the result of their internalized spatial institutions imposed by white society due to Wright’s self-awareness,challenging pervading spatial class.Representational spaces are interpreted from two points.On the one hand,Wright develops his cognition of black and white spatial class in the dynamic space,turning the common physical space into a political space for his development of self-awareness.On the other hand,Wright,under the oppression of working space,cultivates self-awareness and constructs representational space of subjectivity,a cognitive space for seeking knowledge and discourse power.Spatial practice embodies three angles.Violent resistance towards his parents,the controllers of spatial order,reveals Wright ’s quest for self-existence in domestic space.Besides,Wright makes great efforts to promote discourse power and spatial status through pursuing knowledge and writing in ethnic space.Moreover,Wright,across geographical space of south and north,explores self-worth and determines self-identity in both academic and political spaces.This thesis takes the attitude that the autobiography reveals the sufferings and oppression endured by Wright and other African Americans as well as considerable efforts Wright and other blacks have taken to realize their "self" in racial society,so as to illuminate the facets of oppressiveness,class and racialism embodied in the space through its exposed spatial forms.