Discrimination In Native Son

Richard Wright the author of the novel Native Son shows how the accusation of rape of white women by a black man triggers hatred by white society. He uses the characterization of Bigger as a violent black male to show how whites perceive African American men. Bigger was nurtured in a society that oppressed and contributed to the circumstances he found himself in and that lead to the criminal behavior he conducted. Whites in society during that time period showed how blacks were accused of many crimes and how blacks know that even if they were to oppose that claim they will still be suspected. Buckley used Bigger’s upbringing and race as a way to highlight a reason why he made those bad choices. Bigger grew up in a society that discriminated against blacks where he was taught to respect and fear whites. He grew up in a stereotypical negro homelife. Bigger’s family consists of a mother who cannot cope with how unrealistic society 's values are for her children, a sister who fears life, a brother who waits for bigger to be the man he feels he should be, and no father or father figure, and finally a broken family who lived in poverty. Bigger’s family is anxious to see him prove himself while working for a wealthy white man. “ ‘If you get that job,’ his mother said in a low, kind tone of voice, busy slicing a loaf of bread, ‘i can fix up a nice place for you children. You could be comfortable and not have to live like pigs.’ ”(Wright, 15) His mother in the above quote was