Essay - Richard Wright Introduction the Purpose of This Paper Is to...

RICHARD WRIGHT

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this paper is to introduce and discuss some of Richard Wright's social themes (e.g., racism) in any one of his short stories. Specifically it will discuss "Black Boy," and "Native Son."

RICHARD WRIGHT

***** Wright was born ***** Mississippi in 1908 and died in 1960. Dur*****g ***** rather brief lifetime, he completed several novels, ***** books of poems, all dealing with black issues and ideas. Two of his most famous works are "Black *****," and "***** Son," which this paper will *****.

While Wright may not have faced many of the problems his slave grandparents did, he still had many hurdles before America accepted him as a writer. "Wright nevertheless was ***** with daunting barriers to literary achievement: racism, poverty, family problems, religion, and a modest formal education" (Felgar 1).

Wright lived for a time in Chicago, where he set "Native Son," ***** when he died in *****960, he was living in Paris. He worked for a time as a post*****l worker ***** he b*****an writ*****g in the 1930s. His work ***** acclaimed, but he still found racism in ***** United States, ***** is why he moved h***** family ***** France (Hancuff).

THEMES IN WRIGHT'S WORK

Many common t*****emes fill Wright's works. "Native Son" was ***** his first book. It was first published in 1940, and was later released ***** an "uncensored" edition in 1993. Critics acclaimed it at the time, but ***** cr*****ics also ridiculed ***** censored it, call*****g him nothing more than a "protest *****." However, "Sixty years after its first publication, "Native *****" remains Richard Wright's most powerful and most frequently discussed novel" (Felgar 43).

Black Boy" was first published in 1945, ***** ano*****r "uncensored" edition with additional material that came out in 1991. It is the life story of Wright, but it seems more like a novel than an autobiography, ma*****ly because "***** *****times alters historical facts to su***** his *****matic concerns" (Felgar 61).

One theme that turns up consistently is that of white *****. Wright's characters are usually the victims of racism, and he believes racism is the cause of many of the problems ***** Black America faced at ***** time. In "Native Son," he portrays the *****s as not underst*****ing the Blacks any more than the ***** understand the whites, and even though some characters may not admit it, they are afraid of each other. "Wright argues: if the whites in "***** Son" had recognized that Bigger is a human being ***** than a stereotyped figment of their im*****ginations, he would not have become a killer" (Felgar 43).

T***** great contr*****t between Mr. Dal*****n, the rich land owner who in effect keeps Bigger's family living in a black slum, and Bigger's family who live ***** ***** and have no way to climb out is also a*****her commentary on the social issues facing *****s and whites. It serves to back up the ***** of white racism, and lack of *****ing. Mr. Dalton "supports" blacks ***** he contributes m*****y to