Content Category

Literary Criticism

Abstract/Description

Abstract: “Violence and Identity in Native Son” examines the cycle of violence that begins with white objectification of blacks and ultimately results in extralegal black violence and legislated white violence. Richard Wright’s Native Son details this cycle as it is initiated by white objectification of blacks, creating owner-object relationships between members of the two races. Objectification leads to loss of identity and blindness, cultivating indifference and shame among members of black society. For the novel’s main character Bigger, shame produces violence. Violent acts become acts of creation that enable him to formulate identity in meaningful ways. This new understanding of violence prompts the audience to rethink traditional interpretations of black violence and question the forces behind it.

Copyright and Licensing of My Content

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Origin of Submission

as part of a class

Faculty Involvement

Jamin Rowan

Location

4116 JFSB

Start Date

17-3-2016 12:15 PM

End Date

17-3-2016 1:15 PM

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Mar 17th, 12:15 PM Mar 17th, 1:15 PM

Violence and Identity in Native Son

4116 JFSB

Abstract: “Violence and Identity in Native Son” examines the cycle of violence that begins with white objectification of blacks and ultimately results in extralegal black violence and legislated white violence. Richard Wright’s Native Son details this cycle as it is initiated by white objectification of blacks, creating owner-object relationships between members of the two races. Objectification leads to loss of identity and blindness, cultivating indifference and shame among members of black society. For the novel’s main character Bigger, shame produces violence. Violent acts become acts of creation that enable him to formulate identity in meaningful ways. This new understanding of violence prompts the audience to rethink traditional interpretations of black violence and question the forces behind it.