About the Author
The image that emerges from Richard Wright’s collection of autobiographical short stories, Uncle Tom’s Children, is that of a lonely and troubled childhood. Born September […]
Native Son
Setting
Although no specific city is mentioned, the setting resembles Chicago of the late 1930s. Wright points out the sharp contrasts between the black slum world […]
Themes and Characters
The central theme of Native Son is the central theme of much black American writing, the duality of black existence in the United States. Bigger […]
Literary Qualities
In Native Son, Wright uses the same combination of direct, naturalistic prose and symbolism that he employed in Uncle Tom’s Children. He carefully reconstructs the […]
Social Sensitivity
Native Son depicts a world that is psychologically and physically brutal. Wright graphically portrays the emotional trauma that his black characters suffer because of white […]
Related Titles and Adaptations
Native Son is an extension of Wright’s work in Uncle Tom’s Children, and it is not difficult to imagine Bigger Thomas as a direct descendant […]