Summary: Butler, Robert James. “The Function of Violence in Richard Wright’s Native Son.” Black American Literature Forum. 20:1/2 (Spring Summer 1986): 9-25. Web. JSTOR. Accessed 24 June 2013.
by Staci Miller
Perhaps the harshest criticism of Richard Wright’s Native Son is that the novel seems filled with unnecessary violence. Critics have blamed this violence on both the emotionally charged attitude of Richard Wright when writing the novel and on his perceived hatred of whites. The novel is often misread as an attempt at hyper-violence that spills over from a solely black world to a white world: a cautionary tale to the whites oppressing these black men. In his article “The Function of Violence in Richard Wright’s Native Son,” Robert James Butler makes the case that the violence in Native Son is not an uncontrolled, emotionally charged product of a novel in which the author has no control, but rather a carefully wielded symbol showing two sides of a character that cannot be combined to create a whole person.
Butler creates a dichotomy in which Mary Dalton and Bessie (Bigger Thomas’ two murder victims) represent polarities in Bigger’s own personal character. Mary is his romantic side focused on dreams and opportunities that will never be afforded to him while Bessie is his natural side: a woman dictated by social pressures and the harsh reality of her environment. Though Bigger has a longing both romantic and sexual for both of these women, Butler points out that Bigger is also not comfortable with affectionate touch and often such encounters leave him feeling enraged and violent. Butler says that this is due to the alienation Bigger feels that is created by the lack of opportunity presented to him. Bulter then goes on to compare this alienation to the feeling of alienation Mary feels by the same loss of opportunity she has because of her sheltering parents and assumptions about who she is supposed to be as their daughter. Bigger and Mary come to the same solution to deal with overbearing environments and unwanted responsibilities at home: Bigger joins his gang of friends and Mary joins the “gang” of the communist party. This creates a kinship in the two that Bigger feels and acts upon creating a situation Bigger knows he cannot explain when he is in the midst of being found. He knows that he would not be able to explain his position to Mary’s parents. Even though her own actions and body language suggest she is physically attracted to Bigger, Mary’s parents would see any act of physical affection as Bigger taking advantage of their daughter. His killing of Mary is not a frenzied act of violence created out of hatred for white people, but rather a killing of the romantic side of Bigger who dreams of things he cannot have.
Butler then points out that throughout the novel when Bigger feels the pressures of the white world too heavy on him he turns to Bessie. Bessie becomes a place of relief from those pressures for Bigger and the only person he feels he can be his natural self around. Butler says that although Bigger longs for his natural state, he also hates it. He points out that Bigger’s murder of Bessie and his justification of the murder are completely useless to Bigger’s escape from the law: the police are already searching for Bigger and Bessie’s body leads them to him. Butler also says that the night Bigger and Bessie start their escape and hideout that Bigger makes himself like Bessie: he drinks the whiskey in her purse until he is in the stupor he so often knows Bessie to be in. When Bessie realizes the danger she has put herself in by being a part of Bigger’s plot and escape and voices the stupidity and naivety she feels and in doing so, she lists the feelings Bigger has about himself. Butler says that while Bigger had to kill Mary because she represented a life he could never have, Bigger has to kill Bessie because she represents a life he could never be comfortable with: the life which nature has imposed upon him.
Butler finishes by saying that since Bigger has confined himself to two polar opposites in one person, once he has killed both sides of himself he is forced to come to terms with a new sense of self and one that is actually a whole person. In Book Three of Native Son Bigger is able to come to conclusions about humanity and compassion that were not accessible to him in the first two books because he has finally let go of the attitudes of hatred and self-pity that held him back. Butler also points out though that because of how long Bigger has lived his life with dichotomizing personalities the road to humanity is one cut short for Bigger as a punishment for his crimes. Butler says that the punishment Bigger faces (death by electric chair) ends up being not an act of violence to repay the acts of violence, but a complex end to a complex character. Butler says the death of Bigger just after his self-realization is proof of the novel’s resounding ironic theme: “Death comes precisely at the threshold of our most deeply human experiences” (23).
by Staci Miller
Perhaps the harshest criticism of Richard Wright’s Native Son is that the novel seems filled with unnecessary violence. Critics have blamed this violence on both the emotionally charged attitude of Richard Wright when writing the novel and on his perceived hatred of whites. The novel is often misread as an attempt at hyper-violence that spills over from a solely black world to a white world: a cautionary tale to the whites oppressing these black men. In his article “The Function of Violence in Richard Wright’s Native Son,” Robert James Butler makes the case that the violence in Native Son is not an uncontrolled, emotionally charged product of a novel in which the author has no control, but rather a carefully wielded symbol showing two sides of a character that cannot be combined to create a whole person.
Butler creates a dichotomy in which Mary Dalton and Bessie (Bigger Thomas’ two murder victims) represent polarities in Bigger’s own personal character. Mary is his romantic side focused on dreams and opportunities that will never be afforded to him while Bessie is his natural side: a woman dictated by social pressures and the harsh reality of her environment. Though Bigger has a longing both romantic and sexual for both of these women, Butler points out that Bigger is also not comfortable with affectionate touch and often such encounters leave him feeling enraged and violent. Butler says that this is due to the alienation Bigger feels that is created by the lack of opportunity presented to him. Bulter then goes on to compare this alienation to the feeling of alienation Mary feels by the same loss of opportunity she has because of her sheltering parents and assumptions about who she is supposed to be as their daughter. Bigger and Mary come to the same solution to deal with overbearing environments and unwanted responsibilities at home: Bigger joins his gang of friends and Mary joins the “gang” of the communist party. This creates a kinship in the two that Bigger feels and acts upon creating a situation Bigger knows he cannot explain when he is in the midst of being found. He knows that he would not be able to explain his position to Mary’s parents. Even though her own actions and body language suggest she is physically attracted to Bigger, Mary’s parents would see any act of physical affection as Bigger taking advantage of their daughter. His killing of Mary is not a frenzied act of violence created out of hatred for white people, but rather a killing of the romantic side of Bigger who dreams of things he cannot have.
Butler then points out that throughout the novel when Bigger feels the pressures of the white world too heavy on him he turns to Bessie. Bessie becomes a place of relief from those pressures for Bigger and the only person he feels he can be his natural self around. Butler says that although Bigger longs for his natural state, he also hates it. He points out that Bigger’s murder of Bessie and his justification of the murder are completely useless to Bigger’s escape from the law: the police are already searching for Bigger and Bessie’s body leads them to him. Butler also says that the night Bigger and Bessie start their escape and hideout that Bigger makes himself like Bessie: he drinks the whiskey in her purse until he is in the stupor he so often knows Bessie to be in. When Bessie realizes the danger she has put herself in by being a part of Bigger’s plot and escape and voices the stupidity and naivety she feels and in doing so, she lists the feelings Bigger has about himself. Butler says that while Bigger had to kill Mary because she represented a life he could never have, Bigger has to kill Bessie because she represents a life he could never be comfortable with: the life which nature has imposed upon him.
Butler finishes by saying that since Bigger has confined himself to two polar opposites in one person, once he has killed both sides of himself he is forced to come to terms with a new sense of self and one that is actually a whole person. In Book Three of Native Son Bigger is able to come to conclusions about humanity and compassion that were not accessible to him in the first two books because he has finally let go of the attitudes of hatred and self-pity that held him back. Butler also points out though that because of how long Bigger has lived his life with dichotomizing personalities the road to humanity is one cut short for Bigger as a punishment for his crimes. Butler says that the punishment Bigger faces (death by electric chair) ends up being not an act of violence to repay the acts of violence, but a complex end to a complex character. Butler says the death of Bigger just after his self-realization is proof of the novel’s resounding ironic theme: “Death comes precisely at the threshold of our most deeply human experiences” (23).