Richard Wright (1908-1960), a prominent African-American novelist, has made significant contributions to American literature, particularly in his exploration of race, identity, and social injustice. His works often depict characters struggling with fear, anger, and frustration due to poverty, racism, and segregation. Through vivid portrayals of oppression, Wright examines how these hardships lead African-American characters to respond violence and delinquency.Wright''s landmark novel, Native Son (1940), delves into the relationship between individual aspirations and societal constraints in 1930s Chicago. It highlights the racial injustices faced by African Americans in a Jim Crow society, a reality Wright himself experienced. Through the character of Bigger Thomas, the novel explores how personal desires and environmental strains shape actions and choices, illustrating the complexities of the human condition.This study, utilizing a descriptive-analytical method, applies General Strain Theory (GST) to analyze the interplay between desire, strain, and delinquency in Native Son. It focuses on how Bigger''s thwarted desires, influenced by systemic racism and societal constraints, manifest as strains that lead to delinquent behavior. The research seeks to answer how Bigger''s unfulfilled desires contribute to his strain and criminal actions, and how GST provides insight into his motivations within a context of systemic oppression.The findings demonstrate that three key sources of strain in Bigger''s lifehis inability to achieve valued goals, the loss of those goals, and exposure to negative stimulitrigger significant negative emotions. These emotions, including fear, anger, and frustration, drive Bigger to engage in violent and delinquent behavior as a means of coping with his circumstances.