Native Son (1940) is a novel by African-American author Richard Wright. The novel tells the story of 20-year old Bigger Thomas, an African-American of the poorest class, struggling to live in Chicago's South Side ghetto in the 1930s. His life is doomed from the outset: after Bigger accidentally kills a white woman, he runs from the police, kills his girlfriend and is then caught and tried. "I didn't want to kill", Bigger shouted. "But what I killed for, I am! It must've been pretty deep in me to make me kill." Image File history File links Download high resolution version (602x1001, 140 KB) This image is a book cover. ... Richard Wright (September 4, 1908 – November 28, 1960) was an American author of novels, short stories and non-fiction. ... In political geography and international politics a country is a geographical entity, a territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... African American literature is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... The barcode of an ISBN . ... Native Son is a 1940 novel by Richard Wright. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ... Richard Wright (September 4, 1908 – November 28, 1960) was an American author of novels, short stories and non-fiction. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Community areas of Chicago. ... Face The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ...

Written mostly in the third person, Wright gets inside the head of "brute Negro" Bigger, revealing his feelings, thoughts and point of view as he commits crimes, is confronted with racism, violence and debasement—the name "Bigger" both is a play of the word "Nigger", and a nod to the bigger social forces behind his actions. While not apologizing for Bigger's crimes, Wright is sympathetic to the systemic inevitability behind them. The story is a powerful statement about the inevitable fate of African-Americans as a result of racial inequality and social injustice. As Bigger's lawyer points out, there is no escape from this destiny for his client or any other black American, since they are the necessary product of the society that raised them. "No American Negro exists," Wright once wrote "who does not have his private Bigger Thomas living in his skull." The Narrator is the entity within a story that tells the story to the reader. ... Manifestations Slavery · Racial profiling · Lynching Hate speech · Hate crime · Hate groups Genocide · The Holocaust · Armenian Genocide · Pogrom Ethnocide · Ethnic cleansing · Race war Religious persecution · Gay bashing Blood libel · Black Legend Pedophobia · Ephebiphobia Movements Discriminatory Aryanism · Neo-Nazism · Ku Klux Klan National Party (South Africa) American Nazi Party Kahanism · Supremacism Anti... // Nigger is a racial slur used to refer to dark-skinned people, especially those of African ancestry. ...

Literary significance & criticism

Wright's protest novel was an immediate best-seller, selling 250,000 hardcover copies in its initial run.^{[citation needed]} It was one of the earliest successful attempts to explain the racial divide in America in terms of the social conditions imposed on African-Americans by the dominant white society.^{[citation needed]} It also made Wright the wealthiest black writer of his time and established him as a spokesperson for African-American issues, and the "father of Black American literature".^{[citation needed]}

In 1993 the novel was for the first time published in its entirety,^{[citation needed]} together with an introduction, a chronology and notes by Arnold Rampersad,^{[citation needed]} a well-regarded scholar of African-American literary works. This imprint also contains Richard Wright's 1940 essay How 'Bigger' Was Born. 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Richard Wright (September 4, 1908 – November 28, 1960) was an American author of novels, short stories and non-fiction. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

It is number 71 on the American Library Association's list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000.^[1] The Modern Library named it #20 on their list of the 100 best novels of the 20th Century. ALA Logo The American Library Association (ALA) is a group based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In 1998 the Modern Library created a list of what are, in their opinion, the 100 best novels published since 1900. ...

Allusions/references from other works

Native Son led James Baldwin to write his essay Notes of a Native Son (1955), although Baldwin came to see the work as flawed.^{[citation needed]} This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... James Baldwin, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1955 James Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an African-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist, known for his novel Go Tell it on the Mountain. ...

In Lemony Snicket's book The Penultimate Peril, it is mentioned, "Richard Wright, an American novelist of the realist school, asks a famous unfathomable question ... 'Who knows when some slight shock,' he asks, 'disturbing the delicate balance between social order and thirsty aspiration, shall send the skyscrapers in our cities toppling?' ... So when Mr. Wright asks his question, he might be wondering if a small event, such as a stone dropping into a pond, can cause ripples in the system of the world, and tremble the things that people want, until all this rippling and trembling brings down something enormous..."^{[citation needed]} Lemony Snicket is a pseudonym used by author Daniel Handler in his childrens book series A Series of Unfortunate Events, as well as a character in that series. ... The Penultimate Peril is the twelfth novel in the book series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. ...

A large section of Percival Everett's Erasure (1999) contains a parody, first entitled "My Pafology," of Native Son. Percival Everett (born 1956) is an American writer and Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California. ...

Native Son is mentioned in a flashback in the film American History X, when Derek's father criticizes Derek's teacher's Black Literature lessons and affirmative action. American History X is a 1998 crime drama film directed by Tony Kaye and written by David McKenna. ... Manifestations Slavery · Racial profiling · Lynching Hate speech · Hate crime · Hate groups Genocide · The Holocaust · Armenian Genocide · Pogrom Ethnocide · Ethnic cleansing · Race war Religious persecution · Gay bashing Blood libel · Black Legend Pedophobia · Ephebiphobia Movements Discriminatory Aryanism · Neo-Nazism · Ku Klux Klan National Party (South Africa) American Nazi Party Kahanism · Supremacism Anti...

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

It was adapted for the stage by Wright and Paul Green, with some conflict between the authors affecting the project.^{[citation needed]} The initial production, directed by Orson Welles and with Canada Lee as Bigger opened at the St. James Theatre on March 24, 1941.^{[citation needed]} Paul Green (17 March 1894 - 4 May 1981) American Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright. ... This article contains a trivia section. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... The St. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ...

The book was newly adapted and directed again by Kent Gash (in conjunction with the Paul Green Foundation) for Intiman Theatre in Seattle, WA in 2006.^{[citation needed]} The production, featuring Ato Essandoh as Bigger Thomas, was a more literal translation of the book than the 1941 version and was a critical success.^{[citation needed]} Nickname: Location of Seattle in King County and Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King County Incorporated December 2 1869 Government  - Type Mayor-council  - Mayor Greg Nickels (NP) Area  - City  142. ...

Native Son has been filmed twice; once in 1951 and again in 1986. Neither version is considered to have been an artistic success,^{[citation needed]} despite Wright's involvement in the earlier version. The first version was made in Argentina; the novel's relatively sympathetic portrayal of the communist characters would have made an American production impossible at the time.^{[citation needed]} Wright played the title character despite being twice the age of Bigger Thomas.^{[citation needed]} The film was not well received, with Wright's performance being a particular target of critics.^{[citation needed]} 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ...

See also

• Black Boy
• African American literature

Black Boy is an autobiographical book by Richard Wright. ... African American literature is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent. ...

References

• Native Son, ISBN 0-06-080977-9
• Native Son, ISBN 0-06-081249-4

External links

• Native Son (1951) at the Internet Movie Database
• Native Son (1986) at the Internet Movie Database
• Reviewed, by Dan Schneider, 2007.