Interlocking Racism and Capitalism in Native Son
In Richard Wright's Native Son, he discusses the impacts of both racism and capitalism, two oppressive
systems that rely on and maintain each other. This can be seen through his portrayal of the character Mr.
Dalton. Dalton outwardly claims to be a progressive ally and frequently brags about his philanthropy and
how he has helped Bigger's "people", talking about the ping pong tables he contributed to a local boy's
club and the money contributed to the NAACP. The irony in this comes from the fact that the ping-pong
tables are where Bigger and his gang plan most of their robberies, and do effectively nothing to help them
whatsoever. Dalton's conduct at first glance appears merely ignorant and vaguely problematic, since he
alienates Bigger and expects effusive praise from him for acts that Bigger doesn't even know concern him.
systems that rely on and maintain each other. This can be seen through his portrayal of the character Mr.
Dalton. Dalton outwardly claims to be a progressive ally and frequently brags about his philanthropy and
how he has helped Bigger's "people", talking about the ping pong tables he contributed to a local boy's
club and the money contributed to the NAACP. The irony in this comes from the fact that the ping-pong
tables are where Bigger and his gang plan most of their robberies, and do effectively nothing to help them
whatsoever. Dalton's conduct at first glance appears merely ignorant and vaguely problematic, since he
alienates Bigger and expects effusive praise from him for acts that Bigger doesn't even know concern him.
The situation complicates with the reveal that Mr. Dalton owns the squalid, cramped apartment block
where Bigger and his family live. Racism and capitalism are deeply intertwined in this instance, due to
Chicago's redlining practices concentrating racial populations within the city and rich landlords like Mr.
Dalton profiting off their misery. Chicago's poor are often predominantly black, turning into a vicious cycle
where both forms of oppression push them down from all sides.
where Bigger and his family live. Racism and capitalism are deeply intertwined in this instance, due to
Chicago's redlining practices concentrating racial populations within the city and rich landlords like Mr.
Dalton profiting off their misery. Chicago's poor are often predominantly black, turning into a vicious cycle
where both forms of oppression push them down from all sides.
Dalton may put on an act of benevolence, but he only does philanthropy to alleviate his guilty conscience.
His shallow gestures are solely for his personal benefit, and serve to give him a reason to pat himself on
the back and ignore the pressing issues right under his nose while continuing to exploit the poor. Dalton
shows his internal racism and privilege by turning a blind eye to the suffering in his own apartment
complex, which benefits his capitalist greed. Racism does not affect him deeply enough that he is willing
to prioritize it over his profits.
His shallow gestures are solely for his personal benefit, and serve to give him a reason to pat himself on
the back and ignore the pressing issues right under his nose while continuing to exploit the poor. Dalton
shows his internal racism and privilege by turning a blind eye to the suffering in his own apartment
complex, which benefits his capitalist greed. Racism does not affect him deeply enough that he is willing
to prioritize it over his profits.
Capitalism upholds racism because it lets rich capitalists stay in power, and racism justifies and excuses
capitalist exploitation by implying that people deserve to be treated badly due to their race. Saying people
are lesser or inferior is a great excuse not to pay them enough and to deny them basic rights, which puts
more money in the pockets of the rich and maintains the status quo.
capitalist exploitation by implying that people deserve to be treated badly due to their race. Saying people
are lesser or inferior is a great excuse not to pay them enough and to deny them basic rights, which puts
more money in the pockets of the rich and maintains the status quo.
Something that must be addressed on this topic is Richard Wright's own communist beliefs. He was an
active member of the Communist party, and mentions his introduction to communism and the similarities
he saw between racist and capitalist oppression. He writes, "I sensed, too, that the Southern scheme of
oppression was but an appendage of a far vaster and in many aspects more ruthless and impersonal
commodity-profit machine"(441). Wright draws connections between these two concepts in his essay
How Bigger Was Born, so it makes perfect sense that communist themes and characters would appear in
his novel.
active member of the Communist party, and mentions his introduction to communism and the similarities
he saw between racist and capitalist oppression. He writes, "I sensed, too, that the Southern scheme of
oppression was but an appendage of a far vaster and in many aspects more ruthless and impersonal
commodity-profit machine"(441). Wright draws connections between these two concepts in his essay
How Bigger Was Born, so it makes perfect sense that communist themes and characters would appear in
his novel.
Though Native Son is fundamentally a novel about racism, it can be argued that it is a communist one too.
I agree with this idea of a vicious cycle linked to race and capitalism. Because Mr. Dalton owns the tiny one-bedroom apartment Bigger and his family are ripped off on, he essentially holds authority over them. Because Bigger starts to work as help for the Daltons, there is a power dynamic that Bigger is constantly reminded of (even by the white maid, who looks down on Bigger). Finally, there is a sense of entitlement that Dalton possesses from his 'philanthropy.' Ultimately, though I believe he regards himself as progressive, he only maintains the oppression of society. By pointing out not only the obvious racial injustice but how capitalism contributes to it, Richard Wright seems to align himself with anti-capitalism (if not communism).
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post!
What I liked about Native Son was how humanized Bigger was i the story. As we read the book we followed him through his day, without skipping any details that might be too dirty for a public audience. What I felt humanized him the most was his inability to explain himself. It felt to me that Bigger couldn't explain what he felt because it is something that he has taken to be the norm, similar to the way it's hard for a native speaker of a language to explain grammatical rules. Looking at Bigger's environment shaped by capitalism makes me wonder if Bigger thought about his financial situation in terms of how it is shaped by the capitalist system. In jail he had a lot of time to think about his life. There he thought a lot about race, but he didn't explicitly talk about capitalism. Knowing Wright's background in the communist part makes me think that perhaps Wright didn't talk directly about class and race linked together because it is something that is so apparent that it would be too obvious, or maybe it was something he had thought about so much that it naturally came out in his writing.
ReplyDeletePeople like Mr. Dalton are afraid of what happens when people of all races, religions, and backgrounds come together. This draws back to Bacon's Rebellion in 1676, where indentured servants (similar to being enslaved but only within a set period of time) both black and white, rebelled. Though not for all the right causes, this case was a great example of how both black and white people were allowed to come together due to shared grievances. Of course, this scared the upper class enough that black and white became distinguished in law, leading to the terrible, inhumane, and oppressive practice of slavery in Virginia.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, I'm surprised how Wright depicts white "comrades" Jan and Mary aren't entirely genuine either, they see Bigger as a political pawn really. Even what they say is incredibly biased and informed by a sort of white superiority complex. One can talk with entire frankness upon first meeting, but it's difficult to know someone without time spent. This fact, presented as another impossibility, is definitely blown out of proportion by the fact that the time they share is so short.
You make an excellent point about how racism provides an excuse to perpetuate capitalist opression. During the trial, Mr. Dalton tries to explain that he overcharges his black tenants for substandard housing because that's how it's always been done. As such, his internalized racist rhetoric props up his buisness exploits. Mr. Dalton attempts to hide his racism by donating to philanthropic causes, while in reality he isn't helping anyone other than his own conscience. Wright uses Mr. Dalton as an example of the rich white men in power who use interlocking systems of oppresison to retain power.
ReplyDeleteI think that it's very possible to write a novel critiquing capitalism without writing a communist novel. However, the way that Wright weaves in communism in a positive way while simultaneously critiquing capitalism does make "Native Son" come off as a communist novel. The complicated thing about the way that Mr. Dalton attempts to help the African-American community in very shallow ways while overcharging for apartments in African-American neighborhoods is that he doesn't even really understand what's wrong with what he's doing. I do not condone in any way Mr. Dalton's behavior, but he has been raised to see nothing wrong with how he runs his real estate business. Maybe he isn't really trying to relieve his conscience by donating to the NAACP and donating ping-pong tables - he might think that he's really doing the right thing. He just doesn't have the critical thinking skills to challenge what he's been taught.
ReplyDelete