Sharpie |1 No Happily Ever After Racism has pervaded our countrys history for years.

In the novel Native Son, by Richard Wright, and in reality, one could argue that the presence of racism, segregation, oppression, and other issues contribute to the argument of naturalism. Wright makes the distinction between blacks and whites very clear through Biggers words: I just cant get used to itI swear to God I cant. I know I oughtnt think about it, but I cant help it. Every time I think about it I feel like somebodys poking a red-hot iron down my throat. Goddammit, look! We live here and they live there. We black and they white. They got things and we aint. They do things and we cant. Its just like living in jail. Half the time I feel like Im on the outside of the world, peeping in through a knot-hole in the fence One of the criticisms of naturalist writing is that it exposed and focused on the vices of human nature; yet this is one of the greatest aspects of naturalist works. Another aspect of the philosophy of naturalism is the shaping of human nature by outside forces. Bigger and his story portray the difficulties of blacks in a society dominated by whites. Throughout the novel, Bigger continues to struggle against this domination, feeling unsettled and angry that he cannot do anything to change his situation. The Literature Network delineates the importance of Biggers surroundings: The locale essentially becomes its own character, guiding the human characters in ways they do not fully realize. Bigger has no idea of the enormity of his act of murder against a white woman until it has already escalated. He feels that he only exists if he goes beyond the boundaries that whites have set up for blacks, and does so by committing crimes. The Literature Network states, Naturalism almost entirely dispensed with the notion of free will, or at least a free will capable of enacting real change in lifes circumstances. One of the things that Bigger struggles to deal with is his circumstances of being black and not having

Sharpie |2 control over that. The dominant theme of Naturalist literature is that persons are fated to whatever station in life their heredity, environment, and social conditions prepare them for. The power of primitive emotions to negate human reason was also a recurring element. Bigger seems to understand the consequences of his actions, but cannot control his responses anyway. One example is before he kills Mary, he knows he cannot get caught in her bedroom. But had he left her alive, he wouldnt have to deal with her body and the lies. His primitive emotions of anger and fear towards whites culminate in this girls death, yet he feels not guilt, but elation. He has struck back against his circumstances and the oppression of whites, yet does not fully realize the consequences and how he can never win. The backlash of the white society is prominent in this novel. Bigger does not receive a fair trial or testimony; it is as though he has already been condemned. He is not seen as an equal to any white person, and cannot be acquitted or defended. Again, this points at the prominence of his racist environment. Even though Bigger would never study philosophy, he learns that he hasnt really lived due to racial oppression: Well, they [whites] own everything. They choke you off the face of the earth. They like GodThey dont even let you feel what you want to feel. They after you so hot and hard you can only feel what they doing to you. They kill you before you die. One could argue that, due to his race, no matter if Bigger had killed Mary or not, he would never have a happily ever after.