THE REPRESENTATION OF THE "OTHER" IN NATIVE SON

Recent studies have presented a growing output of publications expressing the privileged place literature has to represent minority voices as well as to bring reflections upon conflicts related to identity and difference. In this context, stands out in the literary scenario the novel Native son (1940), written by the African-American writer Richard Wright, that represents through its protagonist Bigger Thomas, the painful details and psychological problems that characterize the black experience in a social context marked by oppression and violence. So, the present paper aims at developing some considerations about the African-American experience during the racial segregation period depicted in Richard Wright's novel. Also, this work attempts to highlight the strategies presented in the narrative to discuss its protagonist's identity. To do so, we based our analysis on the studies developed by Brookshaw (1983), Bhabha (1998), Hall (2006), Woodward (2009) and Landowski (2012).