The Subordination of Women in Native Son

Throughout Native Son, Richard Wright inadequately develops gender issues and the role of gender in society: it is a blindspot of the novel. In the time period and location, several gender and race roles are put into place. White women are seen as pure and innocent. They are symbols of wealth and beauty, and are protected by white men. Somehow, a narrative is created that all black men are attracted to white women with dangerous and violent intentions. On the other hand, black women are completely forgotten and neglected: they don’t even get the chance for a stereotypical characterization.

I believe Bigger largely thinks of women in these gender roles, rather than as people themselves. When Bigger first kills Mary, he seems to feel no remorse for actually murdering an innocent woman. He immediately worries about how these actions might reflect on him as a Black man and how to save himself. On page 87, the narrator writes, “He was a murderer, a Negro murderer, a black murderer. He had killed a white woman. He had to get away from here.” Through these thoughts, Bigger is objectifying Mary. The only reason he cares so much about covering up his actions is because of her race. When he kills a Black woman, he barely thinks and discards her body, also like an object.

Throughout the novel, Wright uses Bessie as a prop. He does not give her any character development other than being Bigger’s girlfriend. Even when Bigger kills her, she is just used as a way to show Bigger’s character development - that he performs rash actions since he feels like he has nothing to lose. Even Bigger’s reason for killing her is to save himself since she won’t follow a plan to help him cover up killing a white woman. The writing of Bessie is primarily under Bigger’s control, as Bigger wants to separate her personality from her body.

During the trial, Bessie is once again subordinated because of her race and gender. Instead of getting her own justice for her rape and murder, she is simply used as evidence. Black women are seen as useless unless in the context of convicting a Black man or giving justice to a white woman. Although to a lesser degree, Mary also seems to be used as a bit of a prop since Buckley and Max seemed more concerned over convicting/saving a Black man instead of worrying about Mary and her family. The race tension of Black and white people in society seems to outweigh all other tensions.

Overall, women’s rights never see a spotlight in this novel. The fact that the primary purpose and fate of the main two women in this novel is to be killed shows that the general culture in this time does not value women for anything they can really offer. Their deaths are primarily used to enhance Bigger’s narrative and make a comment on the system that produces Black men. Throughout their lives, these women are subordinated by men, and they die in the same way.