Existentialism vs. Naturalism in Native Son - 1657 Words

When I was recently suffering from the dreaded sweet tooth syndrome, I hadn’t the slightest clue that the result would lead to a personal and universal philosophical debate worthy of comparison to Richard Wright’s Native Son. I found a bag of Dove milk chocolates in my cupboard, and proceeded to snack mindlessly. If you have ever had a Dove chocolate bar, you may know that the foil wrappers include adorable anecdotes, encouraging you to â€Å"take a well-deserved bubble bath†, or reminding you that â€Å"when two hearts race, both win†. After merely two chocolates (I swear), I came across a wrapper that I found somewhat hysterical in nature. â€Å"Follow your instincts,† it beckoned, and I wanted to laugh out loud. What did this even mean? I began to†¦show more content†¦Both philosophical means of studying human nature â€Å"belongs to intellectual history†. They strive to bring a strong sense of objectivity and â€Å"coldness† to their studies. They are based upon reasoning and logic, and want to see human beings scientifically. The key difference between naturalism and existentialism is the exercise of free will, and the individual’s ability to find meaning in their life. Naturalist perspective argues that humans cannot dictate their own lives. Their belief is that an individual’s life is determined by its environment, heredity, circumstances, and so forth, whereas existentialists are based upon the concept of the individual acting out of free will. The purpose of life is to reject outside authorities or impacts on one’s life. Therefore the essential question referring to Native Son is; does Bigger take control of his own life, or is his life established by his surrounding circumstances? The plot of Native Son contains examples of both existentialism (arguably) and naturalism. Primary models of existentialism would be the Bigger’s murders of Mary Dalton and Bessie. His reac tion is not one of regret, but one of euphoria; â€Å"He had done this. He had brought all this about. In all of his life these two murders were the most meaningful things that had ever happened to him.† Bigger’s possibilities have always been stunted by racism, but after these murderous acts, he is â€Å"free† to act (and to live with the consequences