This study focuses at Richard Wright’s Native Son through the lens of subaltern theory, exploring how the novel shows the lives of marginalized African Americans in 1930s Chicago. Focusing on the “Subaltern Image,” it examines how Wright turns socially silenced figures—especially Bigger Thomas and Black women like Bessie—into complex literary characters. The analysis highlights how racial segregation, poverty, gender inequality, and media distortion work together to keep these characters silenced. The study also focuses at urban space, showing how areas like the South Side Black Belt act as restrictive environments that control, surveil, and make marginalized people invisible. Through a novel methodological approach combining close reading with intersectional and spatial perspectives, the study offers a fresh way to understand subaltern representation. Using symbolism, imagery, and narrative perspective, Wright gives partial voice and agency to his characters, while also showing the limits of their self-expression. The paper critiques white liberal characters, like the Daltons, whose well-meaning actions fail to challenge structural inequalities. It also draws on recent research in subaltern studies and African American literature, including work on systemic vulnerability and climate-related issues, placing Wright’s novel in a contemporary theoretical context. Ultimately, Native Son is both a literary and social intervention, giving visibility to silenced lives. By examining race, class, gender, and urban space, the study shows why Wright’s work remains important for understanding oppression and the challenges of representing marginalized voices.
| Published in | English Language, Literature & Culture (Volume 10, Issue 4) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ellc.20251004.13 |
| Page(s) | 146-153 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Subalternity, Silence, Representation, Race, Class, Segregation, Power, Marginalization
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APA Style
Mahmood, H. (2025). From Silence to Representation: The Subaltern Image in 1930s Chicago in Richard Wright’s Native Son. English Language, Literature & Culture, 10(4), 146-153. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20251004.13
ACS Style
Mahmood, H. From Silence to Representation: The Subaltern Image in 1930s Chicago in Richard Wright’s Native Son. Engl. Lang. Lit. Cult. 2025, 10(4), 146-153. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20251004.13
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ellc.20251004.13,
author = {Hasan Mahmood},
title = {From Silence to Representation: The Subaltern Image in 1930s Chicago in Richard Wright’s Native Son},
journal = {English Language, Literature & Culture},
volume = {10},
number = {4},
pages = {146-153},
doi = {10.11648/j.ellc.20251004.13},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20251004.13},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ellc.20251004.13},
abstract = {This study focuses at Richard Wright’s Native Son through the lens of subaltern theory, exploring how the novel shows the lives of marginalized African Americans in 1930s Chicago. Focusing on the “Subaltern Image,” it examines how Wright turns socially silenced figures—especially Bigger Thomas and Black women like Bessie—into complex literary characters. The analysis highlights how racial segregation, poverty, gender inequality, and media distortion work together to keep these characters silenced. The study also focuses at urban space, showing how areas like the South Side Black Belt act as restrictive environments that control, surveil, and make marginalized people invisible. Through a novel methodological approach combining close reading with intersectional and spatial perspectives, the study offers a fresh way to understand subaltern representation. Using symbolism, imagery, and narrative perspective, Wright gives partial voice and agency to his characters, while also showing the limits of their self-expression. The paper critiques white liberal characters, like the Daltons, whose well-meaning actions fail to challenge structural inequalities. It also draws on recent research in subaltern studies and African American literature, including work on systemic vulnerability and climate-related issues, placing Wright’s novel in a contemporary theoretical context. Ultimately, Native Son is both a literary and social intervention, giving visibility to silenced lives. By examining race, class, gender, and urban space, the study shows why Wright’s work remains important for understanding oppression and the challenges of representing marginalized voices.},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - From Silence to Representation: The Subaltern Image in 1930s Chicago in Richard Wright’s Native Son AU - Hasan Mahmood Y1 - 2025/12/09 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20251004.13 DO - 10.11648/j.ellc.20251004.13 T2 - English Language, Literature & Culture JF - English Language, Literature & Culture JO - English Language, Literature & Culture SP - 146 EP - 153 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2575-2413 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20251004.13 AB - This study focuses at Richard Wright’s Native Son through the lens of subaltern theory, exploring how the novel shows the lives of marginalized African Americans in 1930s Chicago. Focusing on the “Subaltern Image,” it examines how Wright turns socially silenced figures—especially Bigger Thomas and Black women like Bessie—into complex literary characters. The analysis highlights how racial segregation, poverty, gender inequality, and media distortion work together to keep these characters silenced. The study also focuses at urban space, showing how areas like the South Side Black Belt act as restrictive environments that control, surveil, and make marginalized people invisible. Through a novel methodological approach combining close reading with intersectional and spatial perspectives, the study offers a fresh way to understand subaltern representation. Using symbolism, imagery, and narrative perspective, Wright gives partial voice and agency to his characters, while also showing the limits of their self-expression. The paper critiques white liberal characters, like the Daltons, whose well-meaning actions fail to challenge structural inequalities. It also draws on recent research in subaltern studies and African American literature, including work on systemic vulnerability and climate-related issues, placing Wright’s novel in a contemporary theoretical context. Ultimately, Native Son is both a literary and social intervention, giving visibility to silenced lives. By examining race, class, gender, and urban space, the study shows why Wright’s work remains important for understanding oppression and the challenges of representing marginalized voices. VL - 10 IS - 4 ER -
Department of English, Bandarban University, Bandarban, Bangladesh
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