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A comprehensive overview of Richard Wright's novel about a poor, Black man in 1930s Chicago who kills a white woman and faces the consequences of racism and prejudice. Learn about Bigger Thomas's character, motives, crimes, trial, and execution.
- Part One
A summary of Book One (part one) in Richard Wright's Native...
- Character List
Native Son characters include: Bigger Thomas, Mary Dalton,...
- Native Son: Study Guide
Native Son, a novel by American author Richard Wright, was...
- Part One
Find comprehensive summaries, analysis, and quotes from Richard Wright's novel Native Son, a classic of African American literature. Explore the themes of racism, poverty, and violence in 1930s Chicago through Bigger Thomas's tragic story.
- Plot
- Synopsis
- Analysis
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An alarm clock rings in a dark Chicago apartment. Bigger Thomas, a young black man, shares the apartment with his mother, his sister Vera, and his brother Buddy. The apartment has only one room, which forces Bigger and Buddy to turn their backs to avoid the shame of seeing Vera and their mother dress. A huge black rat runs across the floor. Vera co...
With the immediate danger gone, Mrs. Thomas turns all her attention on Bigger, first asking him why he has frightened his sister, then blaming him for the familys poverty and accusing him of thinking only of himself. She warns him that if he does not change his ways and stop associating with his gang, he will end up in the gallows. Bigger tries to ...
Bigger hates his family because of their poverty and suffering and because he feels there is nothing he can do to help them. He believes that he cannot afford to let himself feel their shame and misery too strongly without also feeling the urge to kill himself or someone else. He has cultivated a façade of outer toughness to protect himself from th...
Learn about the themes, characters, and events of the first part of Richard Wright's novel Native Son, a classic of African American literature. Bigger Thomas, a young Black man, struggles with poverty, racism, and violence in 1930s Chicago.
Native Son (1940) is a novel written by the American author Richard Wright. It tells the story of 20-year-old Bigger Thomas, a black youth living in utter poverty in a poor area on Chicago's South Side in the 1930s. Thomas accidentally kills a white woman at a time when racism is at its peak and he pays the price for it.
- Richard Wright, Arnold Rampersad
- 1940
Learn about the tragic story of Bigger Thomas, a black American who kills a white woman by accident and faces execution. Read the full plot summary, themes, characters, quotes, and historical context of Richard Wright's novel.
A concise and clear overview of the plot and themes of Richard Wright's novel Native Son. Learn how Bigger Thomas, a poor black man, kills two white women and faces the consequences of his actions.
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LitCharts offers a comprehensive guide to Richard Wright's Native Son, a novel about the life of a black man in 1930s Chicago. Find plot summary, analysis, themes, quotes, characters, symbols, and more.
