Fear is the mental state of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger. This definition puts into words the emotion all humans have felt at one point in their lives. Fear can be considered useless or as an inner protective trait. In Native Son the main character, Bigger, is very familiar to the emotion of fear that has been with him his whole life, following him like an unwanted shadow. The feeling, fear, in Richard Wright's Native Son is a principle theme that influences the protagonist, Bigger, through his actions, his interactions with others, and the way he views and is viewed by society.

Fear is an influential driving force in Bigger's life. The presence of fear manipulates him, by constricting his actions yet at other times inciting him to act. Bigger's fears prevent him from carrying out some of his schemes. When he...