Maxs Perseverance In Native Son Essay - 1129 Words

Unblinding White America: Max’s Perseverance in Native Son (2011) Human tendency fosters animosity. Especially in society, hostility allows judgement to bloom based on rumor and speculation. Once an unfavorable opinion is spread about a social group, these stigmatized fears manifest themselves through a community-wide stereotype. Consequently, this mindset accepts over-generalized expectations of others: a concept that easily led to racism in the mid-twentieth century. While most people in the 1940s conformed to standard expectations imposed by the upper class, Richard Wright sought to expose the inner workings of this falsely presumed injustice in his classic novel, Native Son. Wright displays this through Bigger Thomas’s lawyer, Boris†¦show more content†¦Even though Max’s perspective is not taken seriously by the court, he does effectively urge greater advocacy for proper justice. Max’s dedication to justice and his ability to share Bigger’s deepest feelings may not win him the trial; however, his attempt to understand and combat injustice is important. Max’s argument fails primarily to the major unpopularity of his opinions on racial divisions. When appealing to a courtroom full of white, upper-middle class citizens that are conditioned to see the black community in a negative light, their confirmation bias allows them to easily discard Max’s concrete evidence. Consequently, their stubborn opinions makes it nearly impossible for Max to reverse their core, unconscious stereotypes that black men viciously prey upon white women. The jury also remains less susceptible to believe Max’s criticisms of their race simply because taking responsibility for the tragic murder of such an admired, young woman seems absurd to them. Another source of Max’s failure in court is Mr. Buckley’s powerful rhetoric. His use of emphasis on societal stigma effectively turns the jury Bigger and the African American community as a whole. Buckley’s scare tactics, vivid descriptions of Mary’s murder, and his use