Summary: The Native Son

The Native Son is a novel by Richard Wright, which is set in southern part of Chicago in the 1930’s. The novel, which was divided into three books, Fear, Flight, and Fate, is basically a story of 22-year old Bigger Thomas, an African-American, and his struggles living an impoverished life of crime

The scene opens with Bigger being awakened by the screams of his sister, Vera and mother. He saw that the cause of the commotion was a big rat. He and his brother, Buddy, drove the rodent into a corner, but the rat retaliates and wounds Bigger. Ultimately, Bigger kills the rat with a heavy iron skilled

Bigger’s wanted to become an aviator but is instead given a job for a white millionaire-philanthropist named Henry Dalton. During this time, his mother warns him to forget his criminal habits, lest he end up in prison and also tells him to go out and get a job if he “had any manhood in him.” Although he sincerely cares about his family, Bigger knows that he will never have a big time job that will enable him to support his family

Despite his mother’s warning, Bigger meets his gang and they hatch a plan to rob Blum’s Deli. However, he is actually afraid to commit robbery and he tells this to his friend Gus, who in turn calls Bigger’s bluff. This angered Bigger and he attempted to stab his would-be friend but gets up being kicked out of the gang.

He then prepares for the interview with Mr. Dalton. Although Bigger doesn’t really want to take the job, he is amazed by the massive wealth of his potential employer so he decides to proceed. However, he fails to answer clearly at the interview and frightened by some of the house’s furniture as well as Mr. Dalton’s blind wife, his maid Peggy and daughter Mary.

Bigger remembers seeing Mary in a newsreel which showed that she was Communist sympathizer along with her boyfriend, Jan Elrone, who is a communist herself.