'Native Son' Review

This past Thursday our American Studies class went to see a play of the Richard Wright novel 'Native Son.' I thought this interpretation of the book really captivated the audiences attention, at least it captivated mine. I especially liked how Bigger had his conscience constantly following him around; I thought that made Bigger's presence on stage stronger than if he were alone. Though I didn't read the book the play did a nice job of telling the story in a clear way. 

Bigger Thomas

    One parallel I noticed in this play was how Mary and Bessie both were alcoholics. When they were on stage a flask was typically being passed around. My interpretation of this was that Wright wanted to show how the whites and the blacks weren't that different. A white woman wasn't "classier" than a black woman, if they were both alcoholics. Not to mention that these two women were both murdered by Bigger. These two women have so much in common yet they are completely different. I can't help but wonder if Richard Wright wanted these women to be seen this way on purpose? 

    At the end of this play Bigger was supposed to be seen as a victim; I, however, didn't see him that way. Had Bigger only accidentally killed Mary I would have seen him as more of a victim because he didn't have control over that situation, but he intentionally murdered Bessie which is why I don't see him as the victim in the situation. There were times when I felt that he truly wasn't in control of his situation and it didn't help that he constantly had his conscience talking in the background. Nevertheless, killing Bessie was unnecessary in my opinion. Even so, I still enjoyed the play and I understand the message it was trying to convey to the audience about the circumstances that African Americans had to live under during that time period.