Richard Wright’s Native Son: A Study Of The Importance Of Sociological Factors Triggering Bigger Thomas’ Delinquency In The 1930s Segregated Chicago

Oleh :
Tomi Satriyo Utomo - C1311012 - Fak. Sastra dan Seni Rupa

ABSTRACT Tomi Satriyo Utomo. C1311012. 2014. Richard Wright’s Native Son: A Study of the Importance of Sociological Factors Triggering Bigger Thomas’ Delinquency in the 1930s Segregated Chicago. Thesis: English Department, Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts. Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta. The research aims to find the importance of and exact forms of the unhealthy 1930s Chicago Black Belt socio-cultural conditions which strongly affect African-American Black Belt delinquency represented by Richard Wright’s Native Son’s main character, Bigger Thomas. The research provides analysis of an African-American who becomes a chronic delinquent because of his interaction with unhealthy 1930s socio-cultural conditions of a segregated Chicago South Side neighborhood known as Black Belt. The research employs three approaches, firstly African-American literary criticism approach to explore the novel hidden messages and values related to the relation between the 1930s Chicago Black Belt socio-cultural conditions and Bigger’s delinquency embedded in plot, dialog, setting, and characterization of the novel’s main character, Bigger Thomas and also a minor character named Boris A. Max. Secondly, socio-cultural approach is used to observe the socio-cultural context of the novel. Thirdly, sociological approach is used to analyze the connection between socio-cultural conditions of the 1930s segregated Chicago and the delinquent behavior of Bigger Thomas. This research is conducted in qualitative research. The data is divided into primary data and secondary data. The primary data is taken from the novel of Native Son (1940) written by Richard Nathaniel Wright. The secondary data gathered from books, articles, and journals of other researchers. As the result, it can be drawn the importance of and five specific forms of unhealthy 1930s Chicago Black Belt socio-cultural conditions consisting of the poor condition of Black Belt’s apartments, the social and economic instability in Bigger’s family environment, the unhealthy community in the Black Belt, racist Chicago’s newspaper, and racist and corrupt White Chicagoan authorities which form Bigger chronic delinquent character which affect Bigger Thomas’ behavior.