Native Son Marxist Analysis

The Marxist Criticism literary lens describes a scenario in literature where one group of people in society is more powerful than another. The wealthy community is usually in control of the lower class citizens and as a result the lower class people living under oppression. Native Son by Richard Wright is a fictional novel set in the 1930s in Chicago that depicts the harsh realities of African American due to oppression from the wealthy upper class white community. Bigger Thomas, a typical African American male, is the protagonist, yet the oppression that confronts him leads to his death by the end of the novel. Marxist Criticism conveys a warning against racial segregation in Native Son because the impoverished African American community is
According to Marxist critics, “Human consciousness is any era is constituted by an ideology.” This quote demonstrates that the need for human necessities is formed from one’s conscience, similarly Bigger’s financial shortages lead him to commit crime to make money. Wright writes, “He needed money; if he did not get any money he would not know what to do with himself the rest of the day…. If they could (rob Blum’s) it would mean some sure and quick money” (13-14). Bigger’s shortage of money symbolizes the shortage of money that most African American’s face; the need for money forces them to rob others to meet their financial needs. Because African Americans resort to crime in order to meet their necessities, they end up being shunned by white society which causes harm to the African American Community. Consequently, the tension between the two races results in further division within the city of
Marxist criticism describes a scenario where a wealthy community uses its power to oppress a poverty stricken community resulting hostility. The African American community’s lack of money results in more crime, more tension and further division between African Americans and white folks, as a results an unhealthy society where wealthy white people oppress the poor black people forms. Additionally, the wealthy white folks in the community have a surplus of money, which also leads to an unhealthy society as the upper class oppress the lower class based on skin color. It is important for the reader to understand that the community with more money and more power will unjustly oppress the other community because there is a lot of racial segregation contributing to making the city of Chicago an unhealthy place to live. Undoubtedly, the negative effects of the racial segregation are a warning to the reader that division caused by wealth between different races has a horrid effect on