Resistance and Reconstruction of the Black Self in Richard Wright’s Native Son: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

Aim of the Study: This study also aims to analyze Bigger’s character as an embodiment of violent resistance which helped to humanize black identity, avoid objectification, and remove indifferences.

Methodology: The critical and close analysis of Richard Wright’s Native Son significantly highlights that Wright's construction of the main character Bigger, a colonized black native engaged in the struggle for freedom and self-definition, subscribes to Frantz Fanon’s concept of violent resistance.

Findings: For Fanon, the use of violence when no option is available helps to build safety and freedom. Wright depicts the theme of violence to create Bigger’s black identity in a white-dominant American society where blacks are dehumanized and completely alienated.

Conclusion: Resistance encourages colonized and enslaved people to struggle and liberate themselves, transforming them from suppression, injustices, and unequal power relationships to freedom, equality, and self-esteem. The centuries-long plight of the African Americans and their resistance to liberation are worthy of representation in the literary world.