I chose essential questions number two. An identity is shown when a person's feelings are reflected in their actions. The saying "it takes a village to raise a child" is heavily portrayed in Native Son through Mary Dalton. The element that helped create each person's identity was "the village", which are the people he or she grew up around or the community he or she grew up in. Mary was privileged from the moment she was born. I feel that she represents the curious child never took into consideration why she was being warned of something. I bet she was told all her life that black people were as equal to fire: dangerous. However, since she didn't understand why, her curiosity encouraged her to figure that out on her own. Mary's parents and the media have exemplified that the black community was not to be reckoned with because they are inferior. All of these people around Mary have told her who to stay away from, and with no reason to obey because she grew up having everything handed to her, she feels that she must object these warnings just to get what she wants; which is finding out for herself why the black community is dangerous. And because she has been sheltered her whole life by extravagant materials and MONEY, Mary has never acknowledged that maybe everybody was right. Maybe if she decides not to make careless and selfish choices she could find acceptance in people trying to protect her. On the contrary, look what happened, Mary chose to interact with Bigger and it got her killed. Richard Wright's plan to kill Mary played out perfectly because she basically walked into her own doom. I think that because Mary grew up RICH and WHITE she became imprudent and foolish.
