Native Son

Native Son is Richard Wright’s 1940 novel about Bigger Thomas, a Black man in Chicago. The claims treat it as a work of literature that outsold works by Hurston and Hughes, sparked opposing critical interpretations, and grew from Wright’s break with Communist Party dogma, serving as his critique of Communist class theory.

Claims that use this term

• Native Son outsold Hurston and Hughes combined over two decades
• Critics read Native Son oppositely as racial protest or universal statement
• Native Son grew directly from Wright’s break with party dogmatism
• Richard Wright critiqued Communist class theory through his novel Native Son