"Brrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinng! An alarm clock clanged in the dark and silent room. A womans' voice sang out impatiently: "Bigger, shut that thing off!"" (Wright 1).
On July 4th, 1776, our nation, the United States of America, was founded on the belief of personal freedom. Ironically going against our ideology, our nation then proceeded to enslave the African American race for economic benefit. Even though slavery was abolished within the last century, the African American race's struggle for equality has continued to this day. Famous author Richard Wright has endorsed the fight for equal rights and opportunities among African Americans. In Richard Wright's Native Son, Bigger Thomas, the main character, attempts to attain personal freedom in a racist prohibiting society.
Richard Wright's "Native Son" demonstrates how the racist white society oppresses personal freedom and perpetuates evil. Through Wright's Novel, Bigger Thomas is depicted as being forced to commit violence due to his social circumstances. The idea of "being forced to commit violence" could be dismissed as preposterous. Wright's apparent honesty, however, is intended to arouse awareness to the ignorant and racist part of society, divulging to them that they are part of the problem concerning African American commited crimes. Wright tries to indicate that Bigger Thomas is not a unique uncommon character, but is instead a representative of the oppressed populace. From the beginning of his life, Bigger Thomas was set up for failure by the status assigned to him by society. The society Bigger was raised him gave him two options; he could either be miserable and work, or be miserable and not work. Between these two choices, there was little from for happiness, or even a sense of hope of opportunity. When it is revealed that Bigger, the representative of oppressed black society, grew up in a situation leaving him option less, the idea of "being forced to commit violence" is not so preposterous anymore.