Raising Our Native Sons Essay

During the modern era, there was an overwhelming moxie of optimism due to the nations booming economy. There was a generalization that some(prenominal) citizen could work hard and become successful. However, this was not always the case in Ameri female genital organ partnership. Not altogether told(prenominal) ane was given couple opportunity to thrive and succeed. This spit out was expressed in various literary works. In is novel infixed Son, Richard W regenerate uses symbolism and irony to attack race issues and heaviness in line of battle to suggest that African Americans should have equal opportunity as gaberdines. end-to-end the novel, the protagonist, larger Thomas faces perse incine fundamenteion and mis intercession simply because of the color of his skin. This racial discrimination appears early in the novel when a rat is encountered in his apartment. Biggers vex is disgusted by the gross creature she finds wandering in the familys apartment. She proclaims h er disgust and fear of the rat by saying, Lord, Lord, have mercy that sonofabitch could cut your throat (10). Through this duologue, the readers realize the harsh treatment and attitude the rat is receiving from Biggers family. They are scared and afraid of the rat, even though it means no harm and is merely trying to surviving with the bread and butter conditions it has been given.This demonstrates the overall racial discrimination towards blacks throughout the book as they are hardened poorly and set up to give. Like the rat, they are considered the small(a)est of the low who scavenge off new(prenominal)s to survive. They are treated as a terror that only causes harm and need to be rid of. Also, Bigger faces racism head on at home. When victimizeing with his friends, they play snowy. This peppy attempts to imitate the way whites act in society. During this game, Bigger and his friends unknowingly play out the white people has having superior power over the whites. This d emonstrates that the racism is engraved into their heads, even at a juvenility age. This sets them up to fail from a young age by starting them off as knowing that they are considered inferior to the white people.As the book continues, Biggers story becomes a point of attention in the siemens side of Chicago. The newspaper reporters are gathered somewhat preparing to write an member on Biggers recent crime. They are collaborating with apiece other in order to create the best story possible. One of the reporters says, Im slanting to the primitive negro who doesnt want to be disturbed by white civilization. The conversation continues with another reporter saying, call forth his foreign sounding cave in water (201). The reporters are bouncing ideas off each other in order to write the best story for the readers. They celebrate how they are going to purposely define Bigger as a member of the African American community. This simple dialogue represents a often larger meaning with in the novel. The reporters immediately turn to race in order to demonize Bigger. They call him primitive and point out his name in an attempt to dissociate him from white society. This display of racism conveys the treatment of African Americans as outcasts of mainstream society.In addition to this, the media is only aiding in the go along validity of this stereotype. The more the media portrays blacks as animals and creatures, the more they are attacked by mainstream white society. As a result of this, the blacks are suppressed more and more, cause them to become more and more desperate. This vicious cycle of racism and subjection is ongoing as society feeds off the harsh portrayal of African Americans by the news outlets. Wright brings attention to the overwhelming effect that oppression can have on an one-on-one or group. Bigger is continuously crush throughout his life. by and by attempting to escape from the police, Bigger is captured and brought deck to the street fro m a rooftop. He was dragged d feature the stairs with his head banging on every step. He found himself lying on his back down in the snow, pinned down by his wrists and surrounded by a circle of this faces. The angry congregation shouts at Bigger. Roars from the group include, Kill im Lynch im Kill that ape (253). The crowd is angry at the black man who has caused so much disturb to the white folk. When they finally capture him, they all seem to unite as one when shouting insults as if they have has a triumph by holding down this young black man. This unity represented the overpowering superiority of white society over that of the blacks.Although each individual is their own person and saying their own comments, all Bigger sees and hears is an overbearing green force. To Bigger, he does not see the individuality in each white person he sees them as all members of the same group all with a common goal of suppressing his dreams. In addition to seeing all whites as a blanket of o ppression, he is almost shameful of himself when around them.While sitting in an interview, he sits in Mr. Daltons business office with him. Bigger enters the room and does not describe eye contact. He stands in a corner with his head down, being careful not to make eye contact with Mr. Dalton. Bigger knows the role that he has in society as well as the room. He is careful to not do anything to upset the white man for fear of potential punishment. This shame is built off the fact that he has been repetitively told and taught that he is inferior. This repeated oppression leads Bigger to act differently around white people, further placing him into the throw off of a non-productive member of society.Bigger feels as if he has been able to make very few decisions for himself his entire life. This suppression was put on him right from the start. Once he realizes his fate and is sitting on his cot, he thinks back on his life. He had always perishd with the premonition that he would b e sentenced to the voltaic chair. Once this becomes a reality, Bigger feels a sense of granting immunity that he has never felt before. He wonders to himself why he put himself into the tail end of the electric chair only to find out this? Had he been device all along? But there was no way to insure now. It was too late (335). He realizes that he lived his entire life low the shadow of fear of the electric chair. Once he realizes that he is rattling doomed for the chair, he assumes that he should live his live with complete freedom with the remaining days he has left.He concludes, however, that it is too late to live with freedom since he wasted all of his previous days nether the shadow. This shadow of oppression holds him back from living freely because he knows that his skin color limits his chances to succeed in life. Furthermore, Bigger can make choices that provide only dig him deeper into a hole he cannot escape from. After lashing out and committing a murder, Bigger expresses his feelings that he has a sense of power for the first time in his life. By committing this murder, he has scummy away from the limitations being placed on him. Although it was negative, he could not be stopped because he was not assumed to be capable of such a crime. This demonstrates that the oppressed are subject to hostility and more potential to lash out due to the poor treatment and lack of individual freedoms.By using irony and symbolism, Richard Wright brings light to the issue of race and oppression in America. He attempts to convey that blacks and whiteshould be given equal opportunity to succeed. Wright believes that African Americans are placed into a mold of failure, one that they cannot escape. The title Native Son suggests something about the treatment of the generation of young men we are raising in our country. All of our Native Sons, no matter what race, should be treated equally and be given massive opportunity to succeed.