What's up with the white people in Native Son?

Arguably the most important sign of the narrator’s development throughout the story is how he bases his own identity and how conscious he is in doing so. At different points in the book, his self-identity rests on different factors, such as how those in power view him, how his peers view him, and ultimately how he views himself. At the beginning of the book, he openly seeks approval from people such as the white leaders in his town, performing a speech for them. Regardless of their disinterested responses, the narrator pushes through literal pain, because he can only have self-worth if the white men find value in his words. At this point, the narrator believes the only path towards success is pleasing other people, and the narrator’s naivety only fuels this need to gratify others.

Similarly (yet differently), when the narrator finds his place as a professional speaker for the Brotherhood, he still bases his self-worth based on the responses from the people; he still relies on others to form his identity. However, instead of those ‘others’ being white men in power, they are his peers, including other members within the Brotherhood. Nevertheless, the narrator sees he has found his purpose, and as long as he makes the people happy, he will be happy.  Both of these simple examples can be seen as the narrator being deluded by the promise of pleasing others and performing for an audience. When the narrator finally breaks free of the Brotherhood towards the end of the book, we can finally see the narrator form his own identity. 

No longer weighed down by how others view him, the narrator can now embody the invisible man. Left alone to his thoughts, the narrator finds the perfect environment to ponder upon what his real purpose should be. Nobody has power over the narrator, and he has nobody to impress. Left alone, he has no outsider point of reference, only his personal morals and ideals to guide his consciousness and self-worth.