Symbolism in Native Son Essay

Native Son

In Richard Wrights novel Native Son Bigger Thomas the main character in the book ends up killing a white woman named Mary Dalton. The events that lead to the murder and also after the murder change Bigger significantly. He starts to act and think differently. With that, through the course of the book there are many scenes and themes that are shown throughout the book which have a lot of significance to them. But in my opinion the theme that I believe that is the most significant and that also shows up a lot is the theme of blindness. The theme can be looked at as a literal meaning of blindness like Mrs. Dalton being blind or through a symbolic meaning. Although some would disagree that this theme of blindness is not really important, I on the other hand believe that it is important because this theme blindness shows up in many different instances like when Bigger describes certain characters in the book like his family, friends and other people to be figuratively blind to certain things. Through symbolism standpoint the blindness theme shows how both white people are too blind to see African Americans as people and Bigger also seems to be blind.

First of all, one of the parts where the theme of blindness shows was the day after Bigger had killed Mary Dalton he was at home eating breakfast with his family. Bigger starts to recollect the events of what had happened the night before with Mary Dalton and how he killed her. He becomes enlightened in a sense to where he thinks he has everything figured out. He starts to look around the room at his family and he starts to think about how his whole family is blind to many things. Bigger says, He felt that they wanted and yearned to see life in a certain way; they needed a certain picture of the world; there was no way of living they preferred above all others; and they were blind to what did not fit (106). What I think Bigger is saying is that his mom, Vera, and Buddy were content with the way they lived and its as if they were blind to change. Bigger also says that everyone else around him besides his family are all blind. People like Mr. Dalton, Mrs. Dalton, Mary, and Jan were also blind. Bigger says to himself, there was in everyone a great hunger to believe that made him blind, and if he could see while others were blind, then he could get what he wanted and never get caught at it (107). Biggers mentality at this point is since everyone is blind around him he is confident that he can get away with the murder of Mary Dalton.

To continue, Blindness is symbolically shown in Native Son because both White people are blind in a sense because they dont see them as people. White people see Africans as scum or that they are lower than them. White people are quick to make assumptions about Africans. For example if a African man was walking in white neighborhood he would automatically be accused to raping a white woman back in the days of the depression. we keep Negroes firmly in their places and we make them know that if they so much as touch a white woman, good or bad, they cannot live (281). This shows one that back in those days whites had no morals when it came to African American people. White people wanted Africans completely segregated from them. by segregating all negroes in parks, playgrounds, cafs, theater, and street cars (281). When Bigger was caught Buckley tried to pin crimes on him. Buckley said Then tell me about that woman that you raped and choked to death over on University Avenue last fall (304). Its like to white people all Africans look the same to them. They were trying to pin murders on Bigger that he did not commit although he was guilty for killing Mary Dalton and Bessie. They were so quick to pinpoint these murders on Bigger.

Lastly, Bigger too is also blind. Bigger has been saying all these things about how the people around him are blind but he doesnt see that he is blind to many things. He was blind to the fact that all white people arent bad. There were people like the Daltons, Jan, Max and others who were nice to him. But in Biggers mind he felt as though all white people were oppressors for what they did to his people but they havent done anything bad to him. Bigger talks about how white people wont let do the things he wants to do like go to aviator school. Biggers friend Gus said, If you wasnt black and if you had some money and if theyd let you go to that aviation school, you could fly a plane (17). Bigger doesnt really see whites as people but an oppressive force. He doesnt like how Africans separate from where the whites live. Bigger didnt see that the Daltons were trying to help him by providing him with a job that paid well and instead he didnt like it. Bigger kept saying things on why he hated Jan and Mary when they were nothing but nice to him. It wasnt till the end of the book where Bigger finally realized that not all white people were bad when he saw how Max was defending him during the trial and that he has done for Bigger.

To conclude, Blindness really is an important theme in the book because how it shows deeper meanings to things in both literal and symbolic aspects of the book. The theme of blindness showed how Bigger thought that his family and other people around him were blind, how white people are blind to the fact that African Americans are people also and not just criminals or scum, and how Bigger was also blind to the fact that not all white people were bad. Some would say that this theme of blindness isnt important in the book but I believe that it is because of all these reasons. I think that Richard Wright showed a good depiction of what the depression was like and all the hatred and racism but also the people who fought that hatred and racism to make us into the country that we are today a unified one.