Native Son Argumentative Essay

Richard Wright’s 1940 protest novel Native Son portrays young black men as violent within their own community, but submissive in white society. This shift in behavior is made in response to the expectations of society at the time. These expectations are expressed through the interactions between white and black characters, (for example, black men who are polite among whites are considered a high standard for other black men) and the main character, Bigger, picks up on these shifts on his own in order to be successful in both environments. The submissive behavior of black males then gives whites a “green light” to continue expecting said behavior. Throughout Native Son, readers are shown that Bigger fears the punishment for his crimes not because
of their severity, but for his race. After murdering a white woman, he faces more severe consequences because of his race. Throughout the novel, Bigger is represented as a violent young black male. However, he quickly switches to respectful and even submissive behavior when in the company of whites. Richard Wright chooses to portray black characters in this way to show their submission to expectations of white characters.

Bigger and his friends, Gus, G.H., and Jack, allude to previous robberies they had committed early on in the book.The four often conspire against others, the most blatant example being the premeditated robbery of Blum’s delicatessen.
The group also mentions previous crimes, mainly robberies of other black people and store owners. It is known that they have not yet robbed a white store out of fear of their punishment. Gus insightfully mentions that “if Blum was a black man, you-all would be itching to go. ‘Cause he’s white, everybody’s scared” (24). No remorse is ever shown by these characters, and they issue no apologies. The group believes that the robberies are the only way for them to earn money in their world. However, this is correct to a degree, due to what was acceptable in society. Black people were expected to get “black jobs”, such as how Bigger found employment as a chauffeur, almost exclusively because he was black. Mr. Dalton takes pride in the fact that he supports people of color and outright tells Bigger he “wants you [Bigger] to know why I’m hiring you” (53) and proceeds to explain his support for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Despite the fact Mr. Dalton feels he is supporting Bigger by giving him a job, he is still only granting him a job as a servant for the Dalton family; a job that is traditionally given to black people. The fact that the police do not investigate black-on black crime illustrates the disregard for black
lives shown in Chicago and the expectation of black crime, as well as Doc’s reaction in the pool hall during the fight. Doc even considers the fight to be funny until his own personal property is threatened, when he suddenly reacts to it negatively, saying, “ .

When Bigger and the others are encountered by white society, they act in submission, almost as a survival tactic. Bigger realizes that the “good” black men are those who submit to whites, and does so. When Bigger is interviewed to take the job at the Dalton’s, he responds to questions almost exclusively using “yes sir” and “no sir”. Even when he is in the company of Jan who tells him repeatedly to refer to him by his name, Bigger reverts back to saying “yessuh” (70). This may be another survival tactic to avoid being seen acting informally around a white crowd. Bigger only truly rejects this in the third book before his death as he says “tell Jan hello” (430) on the day of his execution. This is, unfortunately, the moment he has realized that Jan wasn’t his enemy; this shows how long he has distrusted whites.

These submissive behaviors continue because of the expectations of whites in society and throughout the novel. For example, the Daltons continue this cycle in the way they treat Bigger. They and other whites in the city constantly refer to Bigger as “boy”. Peggy refers to Bigger as a “sort of a problem boy” (163). Even the reporters for the paper do it without knowing Bigger at all. They order him around, telling him to empty the furnace and “do something about those ashes, boy!” (216). Whether or not it is intentional, the term “boy” constantly degrades and reduces Bigger down to a child. The Daltons often question Bigger’s capability if he were too young or irresponsible to perform his job. After questioning Bigger’s past, Mr. Dalton follows up his interrogation with asking Bigger if he “can handle it [the job]” (50). The constant examination of Bigger by the Daltons makes him seem like an inexperienced child. Bigger is easier to dismiss and ignore if he is thought of as having no value more than that of an infant. The only black characters the white society assigns any importance to are those who are ascribed to what the whites consider “proper” behavior. For example, the invisible character Green is praised and regarded as a successful man for his respectful behavior towards the Daltons and enrollment in night school (which he was actually forced to attend by Mrs. Dalton). The authority in Chicago pay no mind at all to the black community either. Priority is only placed on black-on-white and white-on-white crime, as mentioned previously. This obvious neglect and degradation is continued in a vicious cycle as Bigger interacts with the Daltons and other white characters.
Throughout the novel Native Son by Richard Wright, young black males are portrayed as aggressive and outgoing within their community.
These black characters are expected to behave this way until faced with white society. White families expect colored people to submit to their preconceived notions of “proper” behavior, and the whites constantly degrade colored characters, intentionally or unintentionally, in order to get them to submit. The praise of black characters who submit to white characters furthers this cycle of behavior. Enforcing these racial roles constantly puts black characters at a disadvantage to
others.