In Thomas Moore's "Utopia", he discusses how society treats the lower class. The upper/middle classes leave these less fortunate people little money, food, or shelter, and expect them to lead happy, carefree lives. How can one not expect these people to be thieves, he questions. Bigger Thomas, in Richard Wright's Native Son is the symbol of not only what Moore discusses, but also of the African American unhappiness with their own social conditions of that time. In his novel, Wright discusses what attitudes and traditions he wishes to have changed, while using his characters to convey his message.

Wright's opposition to the way colored people were treated during this time is clearly realized in reading Native Son. Wright manipulates his characters so that they can convey his message- that it is time to end the segregation and racism toward African Americans and to begin treating them like...