Fear in "Native Son" by Richard Wright.

In Richard Wright's "Native Son", emotions are a very important element, especially that of fear. Blacks are afraid of whites, whites are afraid of blacks, women are afraid of men, and everyone is afraid of communists. In the novel, however, no fear is as important as the fears that Bigger Thomas feels. If it weren't for fear, nothing would happen in the novel. Fear is a catalyst for Bigger that, without which, Bigger would be …

…has its roots in being a survival mechanism, but also being a social norm in the black community. Fear is a fact of life that they are used to dealing with. Among the things that instill fear in Bigger are white people, authority, and equality. These fears are very important to explore and understand in the novel because they drive him to make many of his decisions and actions, and make Bigger who he is.