One idea that really stuck with me
when reading Native Son, was this
idea of dehumanization. The African-Americans in this novel are treated like
animals. People from the “white world” think that they need to train or educate
these people to do as they want and have them living in housing that is smaller
and inferior to the houses owned by white people, much like how many people
treat animals. If the rich white liberals thought of the black people as
humans, they would (or at least should) be trying harder to treat them that
way. Mr. Dalton instead tries to “help” them by donating ping pong tables. I
feel like the reasoning behind donating ping pong tables is much like the
reasoning a pet owner has when giving their pet a toy. The pet has the toy to
occupy them from doing something bad like shredding the couch. Mr. Dalton
donates these ping pong table to keep the young black people (like Bigger) from
starting some sort of trouble. When he does this action, he is acting like
doing this simple solution will fix the problem at hand when the actual problem
is much more complex.
Another example of this dehumanization
is when Mary tells Bigger she wants to “see how [his] people live” (69). Mary
doesn’t want to go to Bigger’s neighborhood to get to know him or his family or
any of the other people but instead she wants to go to see how they live. It
suggests that they are some sort of creature that Mary doesn’t know much about
and she just wants to learn how that creature lives. Even when Max gave his
speech, he dehumanized Bigger by talking about Bigger as a symbol, and less
like a person. But I also must give Max some credit because I think he was the
only person in the whole book that told Bigger, “I want you to tell me all
about yourself” (345). For once Bigger was acknowledged as a person in this
novel, and so it’s no wonder that we read Bigger telling Max, “I’m glad I got to
know you before I go!” (423). Bigger got to meet someone interested in him as a
person, and I think that helped Bigger understand himself.
I think by showing how Bigger is
treated less like a fellow human and more like an animal, the reader can better
understand the frustrations Bigger has and why killing Mary might have felt
good for him. Killing Mary finally gave him a feeling of control and he could decide
what to do after that. Bigger also would finally have attention and people fearing
him. Before killing Mary, he was treated as lesser by the white people and he
struggled to have control of his life with his friends and even his family.
Bigger never had a true chance to make his own choices, and that’s what Mary’s
death gave him.
I think the idea of dehumanization is portrayed really well in Native Son. In many parts throughout the novel, I found it was really easy to identify the sharp line or divide between the white people and black people. I think it's really interesting that you not only point out how separate the white people like Mr. Dalton see themselves as opposed to black people like Bigger, but also bring up the point that their (white people's) actions dehumanize black people and make them appear as inferior. I completely agree that this is a pretty big theme throughout the book.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked your analogy between Mr. Dalton gifting the ping pong tables and an owner giving a pet a toy to keep them distracted. I think that is definitely a possibility to why Mr. Dalton is gifting ping pong tables but also I think it just really shows his naivety and lack of effort to truly understand the bigger problem in this situation - that it is not boredom that causes young black men to act out but rather things like the inequality they face.
I think Max's "dehumanization" of Bigger was not necessarily because he didn't think of Bigger as a person, but rather because Max was originally defending Bigger for the communist party's benefit and for political reasons. On the other hand, I think it's still really interesting to see Max and Bigger's relationship develop and see each other in a new light.
I totally agree with this post. I think what you said about Mr. Dalton is the most interesting part. I think there's definitely dehumanization of Black people, and I also think that Bigger dehumanizes Bessie. He is basically just into her because he has to get a "girl" and that's what he's supposed to do. All he wants from her is sex, and sees her as a hindrance to his escape plan so decides to kill her. I just think it's interesting to point out that, maybe as a result of not being seen as a full individual, sees others, especially women, sometimes as less than human.
ReplyDeleteI agree whole-heartedly with your points about how everyone in the white world dehumanizes Bigger, but I'd also like to add that most do it in a very subconscious way. Mr. Dalton and Mary and Jan, for example, clearly are trying to help, but they don't understand the implications of what they are doing or the harm that they truly cause (in Mr. Dalton's case). They are blind to the way their treatment dehumanizes black people, and I think that's a point Wright is really trying to get across to the Mr. Dalton's and Mary's and Jan's in the world; that they need to think more critically about their actions and what their treatment really means.
ReplyDeleteI find this really interesting and it reminds me of the movie Birth of a Nation, which we watched clips of in Race Class Gender (I don't remember who here in that class oof), and basically all the black characters are animalistic, almost walking all all fours kind of people. This is much less drastic of a depiction yet the referring to black people as "your people" to Bigger is similar as it's like "there's something inherent about your race that makes you different and separate and basically a different species almost" if that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteGoing off what we've been reading from Invisible Man, I know see this in greater effect. Simultaneously, Bigger is being "acknowledged" but also "ignored" and this creates an ambiguity of his existence. Particularly, I think the fetishization of Bigger by Jan and Mary is not only demeaning, it's dehumanizing as well. At the same time, your comparison to the ping pong tables to a toy rings true to the idea that men like Dalton just throw their money at the "problem" instead of getting to the root of it (while also actively supporting it of course).
ReplyDeleteI think that dehumanization can help to understand not just microaggressions like those committed by Jan and Mary, but larger trends of systemic mistreatment. By viewing someone as lesser and more animalistic, it implies that they deserve less rights and that you don't owe them respect. A lot of the dehumanizing that the Daltons do is unconscious, reflecting attitudes that have been ingrained in them that they've never bothered to challenge. But this can easily develop into virulent hate and cause serious effects when built into a law or justice system, like during Bigger's biased trial.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, and I think that you found some really interesting supporting evidence. Relating to what you said about Max, I agree that he dehumanizes Bigger, but in a totally different way. Max turns Bigger into a political symbol to advance the Communist agenda, but he recognizes that Bigger is a human. The Daltons and Jan dehumanize Bigger because they do not see him as human. Everybody has their own agenda, and Wright really accentuates the every-man-for-himself mentality that a lot of people in this world have.
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