Black like Me and Native Son

Black Like Me and Native Son

During the early-middle 1900's, racism was a great issue. Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin and Native Son by Richard Wright, both display the racism against Blacks in the 1900's. Though they were both written in different time periods, they came across very similar points about racism. Black Like Me is a non-fiction story about a white writer in the 1950's named John Howard Griffin who decides to physically change his identity and become a black man. He does this to see how life is like in the Deep South in the shoes of a black man. Native Son is a fictional story set in the 1930's about an uneducated and poor black man named Bigger Thomas. His living conditions cause him to be very angry and upset with his life. After he accepts to take a job with Mr. Dalton, a very wealthy man, Bigger gets into a lot of trouble. Although these two books are from two different time periods and from two different places, they still demonstrate what it is like for a black man or woman to live in America. They have many similarities and many differences. The similarities and differences between the two books are evident through the three themes portrayed in both books. The themes of white racism, white sensitivity, and fear run through both Black Like Me and Native Son. The theme of white racism is very clear in the books.

White racism is probably the biggest theme running through both books. Right when John Howard Griffin changes his skin tone and goes south he is immediately treated differently. It takes him a very long time to find a restroom where he is allowed to use and it takes him a while to find a café where he can be served. The Whites in the Deep South give John stares and avoid any contact with him. John does not know how to handle himself his first night in his room. He feels trapped and lonely. Once he starts to talk to others he does not feel so lonely anymore. He makes some friends and learns the black way of life. A great amount of white racism is shown on the buses when John is traveling through different states in the south. The blacks do not dare to sit near the front. At a rest stop the bus driver lets off the white passengers in the front but closes the door right when John is about to get off. The bus driver does not allow any of the blacks in the back use the restroom. One man is so angry he decides to use the floor of the bus as his bathroom. One day John decides to change back into a white man and he is treated much differently. Everyone says hello to him and is very friendly towards him. He realizes that the pigment of his skin and not his personality gets him treated differently.

Bigger Thomas is very angry at the whites. The Black community is forced to live in small and poor living conditions. They also lack an education and are not treated equally. Bigger does not feel that he is an individual. He believes that all whites