Do You Think That it was Bigger's Fate to End up Where he Is?

Was there a way out? IS there a way out?
Can Bigger's character change positively even though he is black, in the 1930s, committed double homicide, and has little faith in himself?

A Changing Bigger

I for one have been a main advocate against Bigger being a sympathetic character. However, my view has changed. . Although, we are not at the end of the book I now believe that his character will change too. What do you guys think? Can Bigger become a dynamic Character?

Bigger a sympathetic character?

Although suppressed and limited by his color, Bigger, doesn't seem to give himself a lot of room for us to be able to sympathize with him. Marked with a great intelligence, Bigger could have, with the right upbringing been the hero of the story. Yet, his need for control and web of outrageous lies in my eyes suppress any good there is in him. There are instances in the story, where guilt does consume him but for the most part, he seem to gloat and take pride in his murder. Do you sympathize with Bigger, although he is a murder? Or do you see him as a broken tyrant? Neither?

Blacks over Reds

In Native Son, Bigger Thomas convinces himself that his fabrication of Mary's murder is easily believable not because Bigger is brilliant in his deception --rather Bigger believes that his word as a colored person is more credible than Jan's, who is a Communist sympathizer. The question is, does Bigger, who is blatantly guilty of murder, have a reasoning behind his belief? Does Bigger's plan really hold up, despite the fact that Bigger actually did commit the crime? Historically speaking, the story takes place around a turbulent ideological state where Communism is being picked up from one side of the society and the other side is strictly against it. If Bigger lucks out and manages to convince enough of the right people, Bigger could possibly get off of his crime. (Honestly I'm doubtful of this because of Bigger's furthering plans of taking ransom money, perpetuates the tangling web of lies Bigger caused for himself.)

Can one family really make a difference?

Bigger doesn't know what it's like to be white, but he dreams of equality. He hopes to be equal, but when Jan offers him the opportuinity he feels offended. The reader can see that Bigger is just as hateful to the whites as they are to him. He even goes as far as to ruin a good chance in the Daltons home by commiting murder. Instead of feeling guilty about the act of violence, he feels impowered. An enviroment that wants to help Bigger improve his standings in life isn't enough to make him feel comfortable in his own skin. Besides violence, is there another way for Bigger to gain confidence? In other words, is there a way to stop the violence from escalating or is it too late?

Mary Dalton

Altough Mary Dalton is only alive through the beggining of Native Son, her character is full of meaning and significance. Not only is her attitude towards Bigger contradicting to her "ideals"but her death also symbolizes a turning point in Bigger's life. Do you guys think that it is really Mary the one showing subtle rascism or is it all just in Bigger's head, product of his own self doubt?

Bigger than Death

In the novel Native son, the self-esteem issues which affect Bigger are usually him having to commit the act of crime, or something much bigger. Do you feel theres Irony in his name because he is doing all the acts that society would have thought unacceptable at the time or anytime time by that and finds it in himself is the correct thing to do?

Mrs. Dalton

what is your opinion on Mrs. dalton's blindness? I think that Mrs. Daltons blindness is ironic since she is able to SEE Bigger for what he is unlike people at that time who were blind by the color of people's skin.

Mrs. Dalton

Addiction..

Is anyone starting to become addicted, like Facebook?
Maybe we don't need this App.

Controversy Back in the Day

Before we began reading Native Son, we were told this book had caused an outrage among certain communities due to its telling of African American oppression in the 1940s. Many thought Richard Wright could have done a better job by telling a story where colored folk were shown as rising above, transcending, this oppression, but he took a risk and was successful. What do you guys see as the most controversial points in this book from what we've read? Do any of you believe that the gruesome murder of Mary Dalton had something to do with this controversy?

What is up with this change?

I do not know if anyone caught this but the first time Richard Wright brought up the white cat, it had "large black eyes" (page 60 in my book). However, the second time he brought up the cat (page 91) it had "round green eyes". Now i don't know alot about cats but i'm pretty sure their eyes don't change colors. Could there be any deeper meaning to this? And if so, what is it? I've discussed it a bit with another student but she was uncertain too.

How Does Native Son Connect to the Situations in Your Life?

Does anyone draw parallels between their life and Bigger's? How do you compare you life to his? And does learning about his situation make you want to do better in life?

Bigger and Racism

Richard Wright has an interesting way of using "Bigger" to unveil the problems with racism. The reader gets a hint early on about how big of a problem racism is when wright talks about the overwhelming whiteness in the Daltons house. The problem is in fact racism, racism that has manifested itself so deep within his being that he cannot help but see the world the way he does. Wright highlights the problem with racism when Bigger ends up killing Mary in an attempt to save his own behind. In Bigger's eyes, if he brought Mary home Drunk, even to one of the nicest white families, he wouldn't only lose his job but possibly also his life. I'm sure that the Daltons would have probably pardoned Bigger because Mary is known for being wild, yet he is convinced that he HAS to keep her quiet so he doesn't get caught just like he HAD to fit her in the trunk, and to burn her body, and HAD to cut her head off. Wright, using this situation, makes a statement as to how bad the things are that racism can lead to.

Who Is Bigger Thomas?

As we continue to read Native Son we see thatBigger has three different personalities. One can see his violent side with the smashing of the rats head. However, we also see what a dreamer he is as he looks up at the plane and dreams of one day flying it. Then we finnally see towards the end of the first book the horrible senseless choices he makes. It is confusing. Is bigger a violent man, or just a dreamer who wants to advance himself in the world, but cant because of the rasicm that perpetuates his society, or could he be both. It seems that you can only be one or else you would truely loose who you are. However, That may be the awnser to my question he does these things because he does not know who he is as a result, of him refusing to find out.Bigger Thomas should just discover his limits so that he may live a happier life.

Bigger and Joe Christmas and Lenny

Bigger Thomas reminds me of another character we were introduced to around this time last year, Joe Christmas (From William Faulkner's A Light In August) Can it not be said that the two are similar in character? Not only are both out-casts from white society, but they are both murders (assuming Christmas did commit the crime). But not only that, they are both considered "brooders" or someone whose deeply lost in thought. They are both questioning their identity throughout their stories. Does that mean that those who are evaluative state are murders underneath all their brooding? Not necessarily. It doesn't take a lot of thought to commit murder; remember Lenny from Of Mice and Men, anyone? If anything, Bigger's action of killing Mary was more similar to Lenny's action against Curley's wife; both did not seem intentional. If anything, the circumstances that were given to both Lenny and Bigger were conducive to their separate, isolated incidences. Honestly, things do not look well for Bigger, remember how Christmas's story ended as well as Lenny's? It doesn't look like things will turn out better for the Native Son protagonist.