![]() ![]() Chenal's and Freedman's respective works were made more than four decades apart and in very different circumstances but both responded to Wright's provocative novel with significant modifications. The second part of this reflection focuses on both film adaptations of Native Son. This part suggests that the cinema, with its intrinsic qualities, may have been a better medium for the Bigger Thomas character to blossom to its full potential. ![]() Through a close reading of Wright's seminal essay "How 'Bigger' Was Born," the first part of this reflection explores Wright's craftsmanship and endeavors to show how Bigger Thomas, the central character in Native Son, was conceived by Wright in terms akin to film techniques. The story was made into film twice: first in 1951 by French director Pierre Chenal, and more recently in 1986 by American director Jerrold Freedman. Native Son, the first bestseller by a black writer, brought African American literature in the limelight. ![]() In 1940, Richard Wright's novel Native Son appeared on the "Book of the Month Club," and its success has continued unabated ever since. ![]()
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