Communism in Native Son
In Native Son, Richard Wright tackles many difficult issues. Besides such major ones as rape, murder, religion, and racism, he also has much to say about Communism. In the novel, one of Bigger's biggest struggles is the idea of a class system in which he cannot get ahead, no matter what he does, simply because of the color of his skin. One of the key elements in Communism is that it is a system in which all individuals are treated as equals, and the population abides by that. Jan Erlone, an employee of the Labor Defender office, is seen as a Communist in the novel. Jan attempts to show Bigger that there can be a way in which blacks can be seen as equal to whites, but it is only through Communism. He tells Bigger, "After the revolution it'll be ours...There'll
attempts to show that it is not just a trial and decision if one black man killed a white woman, but rather that millions of blacks were suffering daily to try to fit in and be seen as equal to whites. He turns it into a class system speech. Max goes on to state that the clear facts in the case are not seen by the public because they are so blinded by the prejudices and assumptions that they have long held dear. "Were the Negroes liked yesterday and hated today because of what he [Bigger] has done? Were labor unions and workers' halls raided solely because a Negro committed a crime?"(Wright 385) Once the trial begins, we see Max, the other important Communist in the novel, give a speech to the Grand Jury that basically bleeds of Communist propaganda. Max Max looks at the big picture
Some common words found in the essay are:
Grand Jury, Labor Defender, Richard Wright, Communist Party, Native Son, Max Communist, native son, Jan Erlone, seen equal whites, seen equal, communist novel, equal whites, communist party, trial begins, max goes, class system,
Approximate Word count = 537
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)
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