An Analysis Of Richard Wright's 'Existentialism Of The Free Rat'

Destiny of the Free Rat

The Existentialist view separates into two arguments, both of which the author Richard Wright may support. In the lecture, “Existentialism is Humanism,” by Jean Paul Sartre, existentialism is the purpose of mankind’s existence breaks into two ideologies; Atheist Existentialism, which conveys that man’s existence comes before he realizes his purpose or essence, and Christian Existentialism, the belief that God or higher powers foresees man’s essence before he exists. The novel, Native Son, by Richard Wright, the protagonist Bigger Thomas is a nineteen-year-old man living in the poor community of the Black Belt who later kills the daughter, Mary, of his white employer, Mr. Dalton and escapes from capture when he the
Despair states how man simply sets one’s limitations and goals based his capabilities. Sartre defines despair as “we limit ourselves to a reliance upon that which is within our wills, or within the sum of the probabilities which render our action feasible”(Sartre 16). Using “reliance” and “probabilities” Sartre connotes that man sets goals within his own grasp. Stating how man’s goals are determined “within our wills” that “render our action feasible,” Sartre suggests that man may set a goal then realize its difficulty; he may abate to a lower objective or limit. Sartre enforces that man is in control of his own limitations, but sometimes man will either be belittled by obstacles or strive for the highest goals. Through Bigger, Richard Wright also depicts Despair as Bigger realizes that he has no restrictions. Bigger prepares to leave his family and thinks back to how he lives his life. He contemplates how “He was outside his family now, over and beyond them; they were incapable of even thinking that he had done such a deed”(Wright 167). Wright utilizes the words “beyond” and “incapable” to place emphasis on a “ceiling” of expectations on Bigger. Bigger describes his feat with “done such a deed” to connote how he has done the impossible in his society. People in Despair each obtain a goal or destination in life and strive for it, setting that par they desire to reach. However, when obstacles
He lives in anguish by affecting not just one person but also his whole community by his actions and abandonment in that he blames no one and credits no one but himself. Lastly, Bigger supports despair when he finds out his purpose through the action of killing Mary and realization that he is limitless amongst men. Existence of humans portrays an obscure mound of clay; man simply chooses how he desires to shape it through his actions molding it into a distinct and purposeful masterpiece, whether or not beneficial or detrimental is up to man