Comparison of Sartre's Work and Native Son.
In comparing Native Son to other works we have read this semester, I believe it is one of the more complex. The story line of Native Son is somewhat standard and familiar. A black teen is frustrated because his societal and socioeconomic status has been dictated by those at the top of the echelon, that is rich whites. However, the underlying message and themes that Wright includes in the novel are more difficult to comprehend. Obvious theme comparisons can be made to other works we have read with Native Son through a quick facade like examination. For example, when comparing The Sun also Rises both Jake Barnes and Bigger Thomas use action to instill a new sense of life. Jake travels to Europe whereas Bigger turns to violence. In comparing The Great Gatsby to Native Son, both Gatsby and Bigger must do something spectacular to excel beyond other's expectations. Gatsby and Bigger were both accused of murder. I feel that one of the works we have read that is most similar to a theme in Native Son is that of Sartre's existentialism. A complex novel deserves a comparison through a complex philosophy. Although I have not read much of Sartre, I feel that his philosophy and ideals echo throughout Native Son. .
Throughout Native Son, the majority of the characters use some sort of mechanism to put blame on societal mechanisms they consider out of their control. Bigger's mom, Ms. Thomas, retreats to religion as a means to escape the realities of everyday life. Throughout the novel she is sings or says prayers to comfort and relieve herself of accepting reality. Bessie who is Bigger's girlfriend, escapes her detest for herself and society through the consumption of alcohol. Both Ms. Thomas and Bessie take sanctuary from everyday life through actions that dispel those true realities. According to Sartre, this act of avoiding hardship through a relief mechanism is very common and detrimental to one's own being.