Racism In A Modern World

In the play Native Son, a black man, Bigger, accidentally kills a wealthy white woman after her blind mother walks in on them about to make love. To avoid punishment he lies to the police, which in the end is a bad tactic, because he is caught throwing the woman in the fire. He runs away with his girlfriend in toe, but then decides to kill her because he would be caught otherwise.

There is a bevy of discussion that can develop because of the themes that the play explores, but the idea that stuck with me the most was that racial prejudice has shifted from actual enslavement to an ideological enslavement. Everything may seem equal and fair, as if all races have accepted each other and do not influence each other, but in reality there is a definitive parallel between the effect races have on each other.

Ferguson is a modern example of why Native Son is still relevant. People still stereotype African-Americans as being inferior and criminal. Racial profiling in New York with the "Stop and Frisk" policies. Native Son attempts, and in my opinion successfully, to illustrate that there are still elements of racial bigotry in the modern world.

That's how Native Son relates to the modern world- but the play describes and illustrates how Bigger is held captive by racial profiling. His dead father acts as his conscious, and throughout the show we see how the negative opinions of his father effect choices Bigger makes, such as writing a ransom note to the police or beating his girlfriend to death. The father shares the same concerns that Bigger does, and although the two at times seem to be the same person, it is important to make the distinction that they are not the same person. Bigger's father shares fears, but also guidance for Bigger. Through the dialogue, one can conclude that the father has his own negative opinions about white people. This aspect to the show provides how past prejudices affect current opinions. For Bigger is influenced by his father, and I think one could make the argument that the character relationship between the father and Bigger is the representation of how people influence one another, and how if one person subscribes to racism, it is easier for another to justify it. In the father and Bigger's case, it is the mistrust and hate of white people that is shared between the two.  In this way, the play illustrates how believing and following the ideas of the previous generation could have a negative impact upon the advancement of racial relationships. 

Bigger is driven out of his home through his choices, mostly in response to white people, and has to cope with the world as a black man. He's stereotyped; a product of his times. He kills because he doesn't want to face the consequences of making love to a white woman. He writes a ransom note for that same reason.  He lies to the police because he knows the consequence of killing, and would rather try and get away with it. He goes to a more expensive bakery because he'll be recognized and glared at if he goes to the white bakery.  In the end, he doesn't act for the purpose of getting out of a physical enslavement, but because he understands the abstract cultural consequence of his actions. During slavery, the play argues, slaves would have acted to avoid getting beaten; now, it's acting because ideas force and compel a person. People are no longer enslaved with whips, but through racial prejudice.

The final image of the play summarizes it best. Its very minimal lighting; Bigger is shirtless underneath a bright light. His facial expression is shadowed, his hands are at his sides, and his dirty worn pants have suspenders dangling at the sides. He looks like a slave. Even today, Bigger's story rings true. There is racial prejudice in every corner of the world. It is important to realize when racial prejudice is present, but also its effect. It is easier to solve a problem if one knows the cause and effect. Bigger's story is one from which we can all learn.