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Fabian's Reviews > Native Son
Native Son
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(SPOILERS!) Reading the first 2 parts of "Native Son," Richard Wright's landmark novel is an absolute thrill. One part Tom Ripley, one part Graham Greene's "Brighton Rock," the antihero always reigns triumphant. But this antihero lacks panache, intelligence, even, perhaps, a conscience... all the character traits of a true villain. So he's somewhere in between. The crimes committed by the much-studied, much-written-about Bigger Thomas are heinous. The character study is super taut and intense. "Fear" & "Flight" (parts 1 & 2) are absolutely perfect.
Then the bloody politics come in. The tide & tone turns radically and inexplicably. The Third and longest part of "Native Son," aptly called "Fate" seems like a purgatory teeming with bo-oh-ring soliloquies and lawyer sways. The courtroom drama I do not particularly like (think: the 600+ pages of "Bonfire of the Vanities"!), and that is why "Native Son" loses some points on its journey to reach almost-perfection. But the failure seems too great, after all's said and done. The social commentary becomes real and the magic of parts I and II disappears as everything becomes too obvious. Everything that came before, which is interesting to dissect & discuss, is pretty much eradicated by the sentimentalism that pops up at the end in this otherwise raw and unsentimental novel.
Then the bloody politics come in. The tide & tone turns radically and inexplicably. The Third and longest part of "Native Son," aptly called "Fate" seems like a purgatory teeming with bo-oh-ring soliloquies and lawyer sways. The courtroom drama I do not particularly like (think: the 600+ pages of "Bonfire of the Vanities"!), and that is why "Native Son" loses some points on its journey to reach almost-perfection. But the failure seems too great, after all's said and done. The social commentary becomes real and the magic of parts I and II disappears as everything becomes too obvious. Everything that came before, which is interesting to dissect & discuss, is pretty much eradicated by the sentimentalism that pops up at the end in this otherwise raw and unsentimental novel.
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Reading Progress
February 18, 2010
– Shelved
February 25, 2010
–
Started Reading
February 25, 2010
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Finished Reading
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It is rather like Bigger's lawyer decides to recite the entirety of The Communist Manifesto in open court...But decades after I read it what's great about it still sticks.
Indeed, the third part was detached from the others and redundant at times, repeating what an attentive reader should already have understood. However, I enjoyed the deeply philosophical analysis in its own right, and gave the entirety five stars. Good review!
I totally agree. I read this a few years back and it was captivating. Parts I and II were incredible, bleak and breathtaking. Part III was far too extended, repetitive and hard to read. As you say, it made the subtler messages weaved through the earlier book almost irrelevant as it bashed the reader over the head. It is still a great book but I also gave four starts because of the ending.
I guess part 3 didn't bother me because I remember the book as all of one piece.