Marxist Analysis

It can be seen that, the novel Native Son fits into the Marxist ideals. Firstly, Marx informs us “their [peoples] social existence determines their consciousness” and this can be viewed in the thoughts of the protagonist Bigger, which are presented to the reader. For example, the line “he had not raised his eyes to the level of Mr Dalton’s face once since he had been in the house.” As Bigger is black and Dalton white, Marxists may conclude that, the character feels obliged to feel of a lower class as he has always been treated in that manner. Furthermore in terms of Marxism, because Dalton is economically superior, he would be higher up the cultural superstructure and therefore would be perceived to better than Bigger.

A further way in which Native Son fits the Marxist viewpoint is that they believe that the Capitalist turn people into things and are purely focused on profit. This can be seen in the trial scene where a discussion arises between the lawyer and Mr Dalton concerning rent charges; the outcome concluded by the lawyer is that prices are kept high for the black people “to keep them in their place” and these vulnerable people are exploited for the profit of Dalton.

A more obvious example of Marxism is the fact that some characters are members of the American Communist Party and preach many of Marxist ideals. One of these views being the fact that the black people of Chicago are repressed by unfair wages and conditions. Also, that they are being exploited for money by the white bosses and politicians.