the unknown essays

the unknown essays Hate, black and thick, blinds and engulfs the mind. Shame pushes him back to the hole from which he crawled. Fear inhibits the mind, body, and soul, rendering the three capable of only bad decisions. In the novel Native Son, by Richard Wright, hate, shame, and fear engulf the livelihood of the main character, Bigger Thomas. Using Bigger and his surroundings, Wright depicts how living under such conditions leads to seeking excesses of sex, religion, violence, and drugs. Furthermore, this lifestyle and its accompanying excesses make it impossible for one to see the sunrise of hope, struggling to break through the black sky. Although Wrights story depicts the life of one man in a very specific time period over fifty years ago, his philosophy of hate, shame, and fear proves equally true in the real world of the past, and in the real world of the present. Fear inhibits the mind, body, and soul like no other emotion can. The study of fear in relation to psychology defines it as the emotional state of the anticipation of danger. How can one lead a healthy life when perpetually anticipating danger? As exemplified in Native Son, and as is true in real life, leading a healthy life while in a constant state of fear proves impossible. Fear paralyzes the mind, rendering it unable to think properly. Bigger makes crucial decisions while paralyzed by fear, and these decisions prove exceedingly illogical. When the reporters discover the remnants of Marys bones in the furnace, Bigger decides in a whirlwind of fear to flee the house, confirming his guilt in the process. However, Bigger could have done a number of things differently and more intelligently to reassure his innocence. Fear inhibited his ability to make a rational decision, and this exemplifies only a single occurrence of Biggers problem with fear- it has been a part of his life since the day he was born. Living in a perpetual state of hate, shame, and fear drives one...