CRIMINALS ISSUE IN RICHARD WRIGHT’S NATIVE SON

CRIMINALS ISSUE IN RICHARD WRIGHT’S NATIVE SON

By Atikah Rahmawati

Abstract

In this essay, the writer will discuss the extrinsic elements in Richard Wright’s Native Son. The purpose of this essay is to understand the criminals issue committed by the main character in the novel. To analyze this novel, the writer use close reading method. Through this novel, the writer finds that criminals are develop from situation.

Keywords: RichardWright, Native Son, criminal issue

1. Introduction

Native Son written by Richard Wright portrays a life of Bigger Thomas, a colored boy against white people. This novel shows that situation can develop criminal as how the main character committed criminals. The cause of the criminals issue is the unbalance social condition that should be fixed by Americans.

2. Theory and Methodology

In this essay, the writer uses criminal behavior theory and close reading method by:
1. Examining the texts of Native Son
2. Analyzing the criminals issue on the novel

3. Research Object

The objects of research are sorted into material and formal object. Material object in this study is Native Son by Richard Wright. While the formal object of this research is criminals issue contained in this novel.

4. Biography and Summary

 

4.1  Biography

Richard Wright was born on September 4, 1908 in Roxie, Mississipi. He was an American author of novels, short stories, poems, and non-fiction. His famous works are Native Son, Black Boy, and Uncle Tom’s Children. Wright died in Paris on November 28, 1960.

4.2  Summary

The novel opens as Bigger Thomas, the main character started working with a white family. He then killed the daughter of the family, Marry accidentally. Afraid that he will be charged with murder, Bigger burns Mary’s body in the basement furnace. Later, Bigger will also kill his girlfriend, Bessie, because that girl knows too much.

5. Criminals Issue

Are criminals born or do they develop?

Bigger was not born a violent criminal. He is a product of the violence and racism of American culture that suffuse it. White racism forces blacks into pressured dangerous state of mind. Given such condition, it becomes inevitable that Bigger Thomas will react with violence and hatred. Criminals are not born, criminals develop from social condition in which Bigger Thomas raised. Bigger’s case, becoming a murderer gives him a sense of power and identity he has never know since he is always under pressured. 

On page 268-278, Bigger has so much pressure from his girlfriend, Bessie. She keeps talking about how Bigger always got her in trouble. It makes Bigger think that he had not supposed to take her with him. In other hand, he needs Bessie with him, but it is not in that way. From the book, there are some repetitive dialogs from Bigger’s thought.

“It would be impossible to take her if she were going to act like this, and yet he could not leave her here.” (P. 268)

“He could not take her with him and he could not leave her behind.” (P.274)

“He could not take her here and he could not take her with him.” (P.275)

“He could not take here and he could not leave her.” (P. 275)

“He couldn’t take here and he couldn’t leave her; so he would have to kill her.” (P.276)

There are five of Bigger’s thought and they have the same idea. First thought, he is still considering to take Bessie with him, yet he does not want to leave her. Bigger Thomas knows that if he left Bessie, that girl may say about what he had done. Second thought to fourth thought are the same, but he already decided to not take her with him, but he still does not find a way. The last, he found the way how to not take her with him yet to not leave her telling what he had done. The only way is to kill her. By killing Bessie, Bigger does not need to be afraid if she may say to people about his criminal.

6. Conclusion

 

It proved that criminals are not born, criminals develop from situation. Bigger’s repetitive thought shows that his conciousness is sending pressured signal. He have to find a way to make himself safe. It is the condition that forced him to do criminal.

References

Wright, Richard, and John Reilly. 1966. Native Son. New York: Harper & Row