Self Realization in Native Son

Native Son Today we live in a nation, which has abolished slavery, but the gap between whites and blacks that existed during the early stages of America's development has plainly carried into the present. In Native Son, author Richard Wright illustrates this racial gap, in addition to demonstrating how immoral white oppression of blacks is capable of producing vengeful individuals. Bigger Thomas is one of those individuals, who discovers his capacity to rebel through acts …

…the prison environment in the third book, and the symbolic final scene between Bigger and Max. Consequently, from this study of Bigger's psyche, it is evident that the "Bigger that might have been" would basically be a decent man, however, may only occur if Bigger was part of the wealthy white society. This shows that in the 1940's race and money played crucial roles in whether or not a person was treated as an equal.