Native Son vs. Invisible Man

[NYC Rebel]

Invisible Man changed my life.....

 

[Hiphoplives4eva]

My class had to read Native Son our senior year of high school. No one liked it, or was feeling it, myself included. I talked to my father about it, he picked my brain about why I didn't like it. I talked to my two little sisters, and neither of them liked it either. I realized there was a generational shift between my fathers generation, and our generation. Its not just the book, its the author. I've read two or three of his other books, and was equally displeased with them. I've read Invisible Man, 3 or 4 times, and find it more enjoyable than Native Son. My younger brother has read it, and my younger sister as well.
So my question is, if you're read both books, which do you prefer.

Are you black?

Those books are considered American Masterpieces for a reason. You and your friend's taste in reading lost!

 

[newworldafro]

read both Senior year in high school...both great books

 

[Consigliere]

Invisible Man -

"Live with your head in the lion's mouth. I want you to overcome 'em with yeses, undermine 'em with grins, agree 'em to death and destruction, let 'em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open."



The writing in Invisible Man is so much more powerful than Native Son. Bigger Thomas always struck me as the Black Holden Caufield mixed with Lennie from Of Mice and Men... still a great book in its own way.


If you like Native Son & Invisible Man check out Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed and The Spook Who Sat By The Door by Sam Greenlee.

 

[trollol]

i liked both

didnt fully appreciate them till i was an adult though

 

[SAJ!!]

Native Son, by a landslide.

@Washington Red, I also recommend Airing Dirty Laundry by Ishmael Reed.

 

[The Real]

The writing in Invisible Man is so much more powerful than Native Son. Bigger Thomas always struck me as the Black Holden Caufield mixed with Lennie from Of Mice and Men... still a great book in its own way.

 

[Consigliere]

Native Son, by a landslide.

@Washington Red, I also recommend Airing Dirty Laundry by Ishmael Reed.

Never heard of it until today. I'll check it out.

Just an opinion. I read Native Son in high school and again when I was 19. I had the luxury of reading Invisible Man for the 1st time when I was 23. Chalk it up having a more adult perspective or life experiences.

 

[Constantine]

Are you black?

Those books are considered American Masterpieces for a reason. You and your friend's taste in reading lost!

Ignorance is the foundation of science

. I simply asked a question, because I was curious what everybody's else opinion was. I'm not even going to dignify your question on whether I'm black or not, to do so would imply that only black people can discuss the two books I've made my post about, which in and of itself is ignorant, as you are a nincompoop. Its like saying only English people can discuss, or critique Shakespeare, or only Germans can discuss Nietzsche. For the record, some of my favorite authors are Fyodor Dostovesky, Joseph Conrad, Franz Kafka,George Orwell, Ralph Elision, Brett Easton Ellis, Jay McInerney, in the last year or so I've read To Kill A Black Man by Louis Lomax, The Pact, a book about three young black men who grew up in the projects, and ghettoes of Newark who made a pact to become physicians, Another Country by James Baldwin, The Power and The Glory by Graham Greene, Moby dikk, The Manchurian Candidate, In Search of The Manchurian Candidate, and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. I'm currently reading The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. You saying my taste in reading in and of itself is a reflection of your ignorance.

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

Invisible Man.

 

[TrueEpic08]

Maybe I should reread Native Son. I just have a dislike for Wright the person, so its hard for me to seperate my feelings for him, and his novels. I've read Wrights autobiography Black Boy, and I was completely stupefied by the petulance, and utter disrespect he treated his elders when he was a young boy. I couldn't imagine talking back to my elders when I was his age. Either Black Boy is specious, or he was just a petulant child. Reading Black Boy just confirmed my dislike. When I was younger and read Native Son, one thing that vexed me was the ending. Its almost as if Bigger is a savage, who has to commit this terrible crime, only to be executed, and then find salvation, and meaning to his life through Christianity. Not too long ago I was thinking about Native Son, and it struck me that there were a lot of parallels between it and Dostovesky's Crime and Punishment. They saw there's only 5 or 6 original stories, and everything else is a variation, so I guess I can't hold that against him too much. There's a book called The Autobiography of An Ex Colored Man that was written before Native Son and Invisible Man. Both share parallels with it.

For someone who dislikes Wright because of his autobiography to make such a gross misreading of the ending of Native Son is a bit ridiculous, you know. Maybe you should read Black Boy again. Because there sure as hell isn't any type of positive Chrsitian message in any of Wright's work, nor is the lack of humanity in Bigger about savagery in the sense that we usually use the word. In fact, even though he's treated as not a full man (Alienated Man might be better here), it is not in the colonialist/racist sense, but in a more sociological/Marxist sense of a full man, where the organization of society and Bigger's (and Blacks') place within it create a mentality where they cut themselves off from their ability to experience their creative potential as man.

As for the novels themselves...I can understand people being perplexed by Wright in high school, as I read the extended version of Black Boy in HS and people just didn't understand the chapters set in Chicago (well, except for me). But I don't want to choose between the two, as both are essential representations of the Black experience, ones that I believe we haven't quite learned from yet and, thus, still have great relevance today.

Those still perplexed by Native Sonshould probably read some related literature. Maybe James Baldwin's criticism of it. I, of course, am much more partial to Frantz Fanon's "The Fact of Blackness," which only references Wright's novel once, but absolutely deals with the same themes that he deals with in a more nakedly psychoanalytic/sociological way.

 

[Constantine]

I admit, I should reread Native Son, its been years, and I don't have any idea why I muddled up the ending of it It has been brought to my attention, and I sincerely appreciate it.

 

[the cac mamba]

i read native son and black boy

books had me dudes style is simple but powerful as fukk, which makes it even more effective

 

[Hiphoplives4eva]

Ignorance is the foundation of science

. I simply asked a question, because I was curious what everybody's else opinion was. I'm not even going to dignify your question on whether I'm black or not, to do so would imply that only black people can discuss the two books I've made my post about, which in and of itself is ignorant, as you are a nincompoop. Its like saying only English people can discuss, or critique Shakespeare, or only Germans can discuss Nietzsche. For the record, some of my favorite authors are Fyodor Dostovesky, Joseph Conrad, Franz Kafka,George Orwell, Ralph Elision, Brett Easton Ellis, Jay McInerney, in the last year or so I've read To Kill A Black Man by Louis Lomax, The Pact, a book about three young black men who grew up in the projects, and ghettoes of Newark who made a pact to become physicians, Another Country by James Baldwin, The Power and The Glory by Graham Greene, Moby dikk, The Manchurian Candidate, In Search of The Manchurian Candidate, and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. I'm currently reading The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. You saying my taste in reading in and of itself is a reflection of your ignorance.

Simply saying I'm not black would have sufficed friend. And your blackness is critical to the question at hand because the book describes the toxic environment for African Americans that existed in America during the 50's and 60's. If your not black you may not be able to fully relate to the feelings and experiences portrayed in the book and hence find it not as interesting.

No need to get defensive breh, but it's very likely you are not able to relate to the experiences illustrated in the book.

 

[88m3]

Simply saying I'm not black would have sufficed friend. And your blackness is critical to the question at hand because the book describes the toxic environment for African Americans that existed in America during the 50's and 60's. If your not black you may not be able to fully relate to the feelings and experiences portrayed in the book and hence find it not as interesting.

No need to get defensive breh, but it's very likely you are not able to relate to the experiences illustrated in the book.

hhl4e relates to black people! to African Americans!





good stuff man