A Philosophical Examination of Will to Power and SelfOvercoming in Richard Wright’s Native Son

Native Son, the protest fiction of Richard Wright, has been studied through aspects such as colonialism,psychology, and existentialism for years. The eminent things that these studies include are psychologicalissues, criminality, weakness, lack of self-confidence in the protagonist, and absurdism. Nevertheless, thisarticle, with the help of the philosophical tenet of Übermensch, stated by Nietzsche in Thus SpakeZarathustra, clarifies how fear, violence, and racism lead to the ethical excellence of an individual from aninferior situation. Thus, this reveals that Native Son not only prevents black people from being downgradedbut also stands as self-overcoming and amelioration motives for the black community. Hence, by applyingthe theory of Übermensch in Native Son, the researcher attempts to demonstrate that the protagonist lives notin an absurd condition, and his ethical reformation changes his living which culminates in his emancipationfrom slavery and servitude and making him the lawgiver of his life. Additionally, through the philosophicalnotions of will to power and self-overcoming, the researcher proves that portraying black people in awretchedly unhappy situation cannot improve their status in society. Conversely, each of the oppressed menshould change and create his existence as an active entity.

Keywords:

Nietzsche , Richard Wright , Self-Overcoming , Übermensch , Will to Power