Rating: 
Summary: Wouldn't be the best thing
Review: So I had to read the book, as an assignment in my english class. I really don't recommend anyone to read the introduction of the book. The introduction is garbage, it talks about why the author wrote the book, So I skipped a few pages in it. Bigger committed a few murders, big deal!
The book didn't get interesting till the end where Bigger Thomas was at the court room with Max. Max did put up a good fight and stood by Bigger throughout the whole thing. I think the true stars of the book were Max and Jan. Jan because he wasn't mad at Bigger for casting blame on him and Max because he treated Bigger like a human, and totally out shunned the State Attorney.
The book showed the oppression of blacks throughout the 1940's, yes the book was hella boring but it thought a good lesson, treat people with respect!
Rating: 
Summary: Powerful Appeal
Review: Author Richard Wright (1908-60) was a master of description, and he captures the feel of Chicago and our often cold-shouldered society in this bitter 1940 classic. It's the story of Bigger Thomas, a self-loathing young black man that accidentally kills a white coed, and then kills again in an effort to evade detection. Bigger is hardly sympathetic, but his tragic hand is forced in part by racism. It's as if the author is saying, "Your injustices helped create Bigger Thomas!" Wright's gripping (if contrived) treatment of Bigger's trial indicts such peripheral characters as Mr. Dalton, a supposedly decent man that funds Negro charities - but only after fleecing blacks in the rental market. Readers come away understanding the cruelties of racial injustice, and comprehending why Wright might have named his character Bigger. Some say this classic was loosely based on a 1938 killing on the city's South Side. NATIVE SON is rather wordy in its last chapters, and many dislike the author's pro-communism - naïve sentiments Wright later dropped after learning more about Stalinist Russia. Despite these minor flaws, this classic is gripping, persuasive, and probably Wright's best work.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful Appeal
Review: Author Richard Wright (1908-60) was a master of description, and he captures the feel of Chicago and our often cold-shouldered society in this bitter 1940 classic. It's the story of Bigger Thomas, a self-loathing young black man that accidentally kills a white coed, and then kills again in an effort to evade detection. Bigger is hardly sympathetic, but his tragic hand is forced in part by racism. It's as if the author is saying, "Your injustices helped create Bigger Thomas!" Wright's gripping (if contrived) treatment of Bigger's trial indicts such peripheral characters as Mr. Dalton, a supposedly decent man that funds Negro charities - but only after fleecing blacks in the rental market. Readers come away understanding the cruelties of racial injustice, and comprehending why Wright might have named his character Bigger. Some say this classic was loosely based on a 1938 killing on the city's South Side. NATIVE SON is rather wordy in its last chapters, and many dislike the author's pro-communism - naïve sentiments Wright later dropped after learning more about Stalinist Russia. Despite these minor flaws, this classic is gripping, persuasive, and probably Wright's best work.
Rating:
Summary: Great time piece
Review: I complete the restored text version of this book and was completely engaged. I found Wright's writing style to be captivating, and character descriptions were thorough. I especially liked the fact that while I didn't agree with Bigger's thoughts and decisions, I could actually see the conflicts and struggles within himself. I could see, if not totally understand, his decisions. I think is great writing when I'm able to experience that through the characters of a book. A great book and a great voice of his time.
Rating:
Summary: Native Son
Review: I recently read Native Son,by Richard Wright, in my 8th grade English class while my class was reading To Kill a Mockingbird. Native Son is the shocking story of a young African American man, Bigger Thomas, living in the "black belt" of Chicago. Every second of his life he encounters the hateful separation society has put between blacks and whites. One night, caught in fear, anger and hate he commits his first murder against the daughter of his employer. Reading the two books simultaneously, I found many interesting comparisons between Native Son and To Kill a Mockingbird. They are both about the trial of a black man. In To Kill a Mockingbird the black man is innocent, however the racist town convicts him. Yet in Native Son he is guilty. Harper Lee tells her story through the point of view of a white person ( she herself is white) yet Richard Wright (a black man) tells the tale through Bigger's eyes. It is interesting to compare the two points of view, telling a similar tale through the two sides of racism. Both authors show their side of the story. Bigger's tale is told in a bigger and more dramatic way than how the whites regard the trial in To Kill a Mockingbird. Both stories portray the separation between African Americans and whites. Reading about this separation in both stories taught me a lot about this countries history. I learned about the strong hate that came between the races and the fear, anger and rage that results from it. The content of Native Son, is not always light. The hideous crimes Bigger commits are hardly small sins, but actions that effect an entire society. Wright's phenomenal writing described the hateful emotion of racism I will never understand. I found it difficult reading such horrible tales of hate, fear and anger. However, I found that reading it helped me to understand a lot of the scandalous society I live in. I learned to what degree racial discrimination of any kind can affect a person. It taught me a lot about issues I don't encounter everyday. I could not honestly say I liked this book; it is not a book one enjoys. It was a book that taught me a lot about our countries history and simple human emotions. I can only say that I am glad I read it, for it was a worthwhile experience. It is a hard book to read, both in language in content, but it shows an account that most likely happened at some time. Its historical aspects teaches the reader not only about racial discrimination but hate, anger and fear. Everyone living in America should read Native Son.
Rating: 
Summary: A great story about a young african american boy.
Review: I thought this book about Bigger Thomas was very interesting. It had many great points about how people should be treated. It tells us what happened back in the 1930s and how prejudice changed the way people thought about each other as a consequence of being different colors. It should teach us that if someone is a different color, that person should be able to have the same rights as anyone else. This book changed the way I felt about what happened back in the 1930s. It showed me that times were worse than I expected. Racism should never be an issue, which resulted in the separation of people throughout the U.S. for many years.
I had to read this book with an English class that I am attending. All of us in the group thought that this book told a great story and that no one should use race as a matter of having different rights. It did not let different color people have the same rights. Our group changed the way we thought about the 1930s and now we think that what people did back then was horrifying and we should try to never have this happen again.
Rating:
Summary: Understanding Native Son
Review: In Native Son, Richard Wright uses motifs and symbolism to portray violence and to show how Bigger Thomas, the main character, represents the black struggle. Wright's depiction of the oppression that blacks experienced in the 1930's is not to characterize whites as racist or as villains. It is simply trying to show the graveness of the conditions that were then present. First, Wright divides the book into three sections: fear, flight, and fate. Book One introduces the first motif of fear. This is the foundation of Bigger's struggle, because he must overcome fear to prove himself. He and many others in his society fear white people. This is shown by how they are quick to burglarize fellow blacks, but will not dare rob a white man. Also, Through Bigger's fear, he tries to display a hard exterior so that people can not see his weaknesses. He can not "be swept out of himself with fear and despair" (9). He has to maintain an "attitude of iron reserve" (9). Therefore, the only way that he knows how to be hard is through violence. This violence takes the form of mean acts towards family and friends, burglary, and murder. The first action of the story is the ringing of an alarm clock. This is the beginning of the time motif. This element of time is frequent throughout the novel. It draws the reader's attention and signals a warning or foreshadowing. Most importantly, it represents the time Bigger has left to live. From this first Brrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiing, Bigger's life is counting down. The story ends with a ring just as it begins with a ring. As the book closes, Bigger "hears the ring of steel against steel as a far door clanged shut" (359). Early in the novel Bigger kills a rat in his family's one-bedroom apartment. This scene is important because it provides an in-depth view of the conditions that Wright illustrates. The one-room apartment and the rat, which threatens the Thomas family, symbolize poverty. As Bigger fights and kills the rat, his family members are overcome with violence. The rat is hungry, and therefore, attacks the family. Bigger retaliates with violence as well. This struggle parallels Bigger's struggle with humanity. Going deeper, this symbolizes the black struggle. The rat's death introduces the motif of death. Book Two: Flight suggests Bigger's attempt to escape the consequences of his crime. This action is a result of fear. As he flees he resorts to violence because he is somewhat disillusioned. In Book Two: Fate, his violence catches up to him and he must face his fate. Fate represents the motif of death. In this section, Wright uses the character of Max to show the aid that is given to disadvantaged blacks. Max is a communist, like Richard Wright, and he tries to help Bigger even though he himself is white. Wright uses this element because he believed that communism was the solution to the black problem. Furthermore, Bigger's outcome is meant to show how society treats troubled people who cry out for help. It combines with the scenes describing black and white burglaries to address the injustices of African-Americans during this era. These elements show how a person is pursued and brought to justice for a crime against a white person, but not for the same crime against a black person. In conclusion, Bigger Thomas reaches his ultimate goal in the end. Despite his fate, he is able to define his life. Bigger's achievement shows how black's must overcome all adversities to emerge from social bondage to define their lives and their equality.
Rating:
Summary: The Definitive Review of Native Son
Review: Native Son is a very deep book that explores the race relations (or lack of them) in Chicago in the 1940s. A black twenty-year old named Bigger Thomas accidentally kills a prominent white woman and then tries to cover it up. Wright goes deeply into the feelings of Bigger, mostly in regard to his attitude toward the whites. Bigger has been so oppressed by the whites that his major feelings are hate and fear. Native Son really made me think about how hard it was for blacks back then and, to some extent, even now. The book is very depressing to read because Bigger is such a sad character. He has no options in life, so after his accidental murder, he's almost happy because now something is happening to him. He's finally the center of attention, and he matters in the world. The parts where he covers up the murder, the reporters find the dead girl, and the police's chase of him through the streets and apartments of Chicago are very exciting. However, the rest of the book focuses mainly on Bigger's emotions, and gets a little boring. The best part about the book is how the author, speaking through Bigger's lawyer, explains how the oppression of blacks has made all blacks hate and fear whites, forcing Bigger to murder. This attitude is much different than the one expressed in To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. While that book has a hopeful outlook on race relations, Native Son has a much more negative viewpoint. Wright feels that the oppression and dehumanization of blacks has made it so that blacks and whites will never treat each other as they would members of their own race. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a long book that isn't easy to read but really makes one think.
Rating:
Summary: Killer finds spiritual redemption through communism
Review: NATIVE SON is divided into three sections, "Fear," "Flight" and "Fate." The first two sections are written in an original, sensational and masterful voice. NATIVE SON is steeped in the Realistic American style of Theodore Dreiser. It tells the story of a young black man who, because of his fear of whites, accidentally commits a murder. He finds this crime on some levels an exhilarating experience and then makes other choices that damn him even further. The "Fate" section takes place after Bigger is taken into custody. At this point what had been fresh and original becomes the purple rhetoric of communist propaganda. The language of propaganda is cliché and the trial scene parades one cliché after and another before the reader. I think this was a tragic misstep on the part of the author. He ruined his book. While I zipped through the first two thirds in record time (I actually had to put the book down a few times because it was TOO intense!), the last third was rough going because I'd heard it all before. I read the first two-thirds in a little over a week. It took me nearly two weeks to plow through part three. Of course, the book was published in 1940. Pioneering works often are regarded as cliches after many years simply because they are imitated so much. That may be the case here. I really don't know. I give "Fear" and "Flight" five stars, but "Fate" gets two stars, so let's average the score to FOUR STARS. Even though the book is seriously flawed, the good parts are brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: Revisited
Review: Native Son
by
Richard Wright I read the Native Son By Richard Wright. I liked the beginning of the story because it gives you an insight to Bigger Thomas's pre-story life. It explains that Bigger had been involved in criminal activites and attended a reform school. Also in the beginning of the story, it shows his demeanor when he kills a rat in a very disgusting way. This re-enforced the fact that he was troubled. I also like that the typical stereo type of white people hating blacks is cleared up showing that even before the equal opportunity laws existed, some whites gave African Americans chances to better themselves. An example from this story would be how Mr. Dalton, aka the Rich white man, takes the risk of hiring a young black man, who has had a criminal history, to be his family's chauffer. Another instance is when Mrs. Dalton asks Bigger if he wishes to attend night school to better his education, since he was only educated to the 8th grade. Another interesting part is where the plot starts to add up. On the first night on the job, Bigger is faced with some excitement and some peculiar happenings. For instance, he is driving Mary Dalton, the Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dalton, and picks up one of Mary's friends, Jan. He is a boy with a weird name, kind of like a "Boy named Sue." Jan insists on driving. Jan happens to be a Communist and try's to push some communist pamphlets on to Bigger to show that the Communist party wants to help the African American community. This surprised Bigger and made him feel uncomfortable. The one thing that I didn't like about this book was the graphic description of a later incident with Mary Dalton, when he tries to conceal an event that happens between them. I also looked to find some information on Richard Wright. I found that in real life he was connected to the communist party and had actually married a white woman. He later divorced and then married another white women. I believe that he put some of his real life experiences and feelings into this book. Maybe he was thinking of his first wife when he came up with the character Mary Dalton because in the story there are bitter feelings toward Mary and since he divorced his first wife there may have been bitter feelings.
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