A STUDY OF BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS AND RACISM IN RICHARD WRIGHT’S NATIVE SON AND RALPH ELLISION’S THE INVISIBLE MAN

ABSTRACT This study conducts a comprehensive comparative analysis of Black consciousness and systemic racism in Richard Wright's Native Son (1940) and Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man (1952), addressing a research gap in comparative studies of these seminal African American novels. Employing a qualitative research design and a multifaceted theoretical framework, the analysis integrates Frantz Fanon's theory of Black consciousness, W.E.B. Du Bois's concept of double consciousness, Molefi Kete Asante's Afrocentricity, literary naturalism and modernism, postcolonial theory, psychoanalytic theory, Marxist and existentialist perspectives, and intersectional feminist theory. The study examines how Wright's naturalistic portrayal of Bigger Thomas's reactive, tragic consciousness in the oppressive context of 1930s Chicago contrasts with Ellison's modernist depiction of the Invisible Man's transformative journey toward self-realization across the Jim Crow South and Harlem. Key findings reveal that Native Son critiques structural racism through Bigger entrapment by socio-economic forces, while Invisible Man emphasizes psychological and cultural resilience, affirming Black identity through vernacular traditions. Socio-historical contexts, including the Jim Crow era, Great Depression, Harlem Renaissance, and early Civil Rights Movement, shape the novels' themes, with Marxist and postcolonial analyses highlighting race-class intersections and "Othering." Intersectional feminist theory exposes the novels' gendered limitations, as both prioritize male experiences, marginalizing Black female perspectives. The analysis. also underscores the novels' enduring relevance to 2025 racial justice issues, including mass incarceration, Black Lives Matter, police violence, cultural representation, psychological alienation, and global racial justice movements. Implications enrich African American literary studies, racial justice scholarship, and contemporary social movements, emphasizing the need for intersectional and global perspectives. Recommendations include expanded comparative literary studies, intersectional analyses, and practical applications in education, community engagement, mental health advocacy, policy reform, and media representation. Despite limitations in textual scope and gendered focus, this study affirms Native Son and Invisible Man as vital texts for understanding Black consciousness and combating systemic racism in historical and contemporary contexts.