Unconscious Spatial Reading for Self-Placement: Bigger Thomas in Richard Wright’s Native Son

This paper hypothesizes that ‘space’ often has a prominent impact on its residents in the sense that it can construct and deconstruct their identity. This article aims at retracing, in Native Son (N.S.), first, how its author, Richard Wright, causes Bigger to dislike his new living space in the white neighborhood, second, how Bigger is made to develop an inclination for the same white neighborhood, and third, how the author strategizes the embodiment of the idea of an interracial nation. Psychoanalysis is the theoretical approach used to scrutinize the work and bring the reader to discover the nature of human interaction with his environment, be it virtual or real. The paper is structured around three parts: first, Bigger’s dialogue with the real-life America and his aversion for the white neighborhood, second, Bigger’s dialogue with the virtual white neighborhood and his choice to accept it. The final section will elaborate on the making of a multiracial nation. Keywords : Space, Identity, Psychoanalysis, Interracial, Self-Placement