It captured a slice of American life non-Black readers had no clue about, and Black readers knew all too well.īut Wright wasn’t content to let the story end there. It tells the story of Bigger Thomas, a young, impoverished Black manchild living fatherless in a tenament in Chicago’s South Side, whose chance at a better life goes horribly sideways. Richard Wright published Native Son to widespread acclaim in 1940. Three filmmakers have taken a whack at it - Jerrold Freedman’s 1986 film and Rashid Johnson’s 2019 HBO film - but Pierre Chenal’s 1951 film might be the most effective, not least because (and in spite of) the novel’s author was directly involved. Yet, that hasn’t stopped people from trying. It’s dense with the troubled protagonist’s inner monologues, it raises uncomfortable points about race and class in America, and there’s no happy ending in sight. Native Son isn’t exactly the type of novel one would think could translate well to a Hollywood film. – Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, “The Message” (1982) It’s like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder Don’t push me ’cause I’m close to the edge
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