Reading 1001 discussion

4 stars

Richard Wright was born in Mississippi in 1908. All four of his grandparents were born into slavery and freed as a result of the Civil War. Both grandfathers served in the Union military. Richard’s dad was a deadbeat who deserted the family when Richard was only 6 years old. Due to several moves and his mother’s stroke, Richard was 12 years old before he had attended even one day of school. But he was an intelligent boy who found himself in sixth grade only one year later, and two years after that (at age 15) he published his first story. By the age of 19 Richard was supporting his mother and younger brother and the family left the south and moved to Chicago.

In 1938 Wright was earning enough money with his publications and stipends to support himself while writing. He moved to Harlem and began writing this novel, Native Son. It was published in 1940, and was quickly chosen by Book of the Month Club — the first such book written by an African American.

Written in thee parts, (named Fear, Flight and Fate), the book is intense. It is violent, shocking, and unyielding. Wright was criticized for it. The first two parts are a tautly paced character portrait which introduce us to Bigger Thomas who commits one murder by mistake and another with impunity. He seems to find his own identity and agency through these crimes. He seems to be stronger because of them. He seems to be excited by the second murder — he likes it because it makes him feel powerful.. These sections of the book beautiful build the story and allow us to find empathy and compassion for Bigger despite his actions.

In the third part, Bigger is hunted, caught, and tried for murder. The focus is on the trial and this section is a strong commentary on racism in America. I found it moving, sad, raw and real. Despite the fact that it was written 80 years ago, it felt like a powerful social commentary on racism in America, today. I enjoyed the first two parts more, but the third made me think more.

4.5 stars

“If only ten or twenty Negroes had been put into slavery, we would call it injustice, but there were hundreds of thousands of them throughout the country. If this state of affairs had lasted for two or three years, we could say that it was unjust; but it lasted for more than two hundred years. Injustice which lasts for three long centuries and which exists among millions of people over thousands of square miles of territory, is injustice no longer; it is an accomplished fact of life.”

Rating: 5 stars


Powerful story that shows how the effects of racism on the oppressed and the connection between economic and social systems and individual motivations/actions. In this story, the fear, anger, and hatred created from racism manifests itself in the self-expression of violence. The main character first killed by accident. In an effort to cover his crime, he proceeds to commit more crimes. The pressures and misconcetpions of society make it impossible for him to come forward and expect exoneration for the accidental killing. Sadly, when he finally goes to jail for his crimes and is physically restrained, he finally feels the freest.

My rating: 3 stars.

A young sociopath kills a white woman he barely knows, by accident, dismembers her and burns her body, then rapes and kills his own girlfriend. He is hunted down and captured, pleads guilty and goes to trial for the murder of the white woman. The man's race is used as a convenient explanation for his crimes, while his case is picked up by various people with their own agendas as a tool for their use. The fact that Wright is drawing on his own experiences as a Black man during the depression makes this book stronger, but the trial and justice system stuff in the third part is tedious and needed more editing. It seems pretty obvious that the boy Bigger is supposed to be assumed to have been pushed by racism to become a violent criminal, even though he has friends and family who are not killers and rapists despite living in the same environment. He seems to feel no remorse for his crimes. While the fact that his rape and murder of his girlfriend seems less important to the white people involved in the case, Bigger doesn't even seem to think about Bessie as a human being, just something that got in the way and needed to be discarded.
As far as social commentary, though, this book does show a good argument for the importance of education and economic equity. The fact that Bigger and his friends and family are so poorly educated makes them more vulnerable to mistreatment by people with more education, and their lack of education makes it harder for them to make good decisions that improve their lives. Another interesting argument from this story would be the importance of purpose in men's lives. The poor women in this story, with the responsibilities on their shoulders to keep themselves and their households functional, seem less inclined to resort to stupid criminal acts with high risks. The one truly irresponsible woman in this book, Mary, is living a pampered life similar to Bigger's, in that any mistakes she makes are dealt with by her parents or other responsible adults. Both Mary and Bigger can continue to act immature and irresponsible, at least until Bigger murders Mary and thus creates consequences even his mother and Bessie can't rescue him from.