Richard Wright writes a lot about race, and often race is discussed right alongside some pretty ugly human impulses. Some students may see Bigger's actions as a justification for their own prejudices; Bigger is, after all, hard to like or relate to since he does rape and murder women. The opportunity here, though, is to provide students with a greater context than simply Bigger's likability (or lack thereof). Understanding the socio-economic constructs that create Bigger may help students to more clearly see Wright's reasoning behind this character.

There's an additional opportunity as well. Depending on the teacher's comfort level, this novel can be used to open up discussion about more modern cases that deal with some of the same issues Wright was trying to convey. The Trayvon Martin or Ferguson, Missouri cases stand out as possibilities, but other cases (some may be local to your area) are also out there that can easily be tied into the novel. There are many real world parallels to Native Son, and discussions of pivotal historical events such as the Scottsboro Boys Trial and the Tulsa Race Riots may also be great starting points for understanding them.