Sympathy for Bigger?

Throughout his life, Bigger has never been in control of the world around him. It has been dominated by whites, and he has simply had to suffer the life of a poor black man. Professor Schaub alluded to the fact that Bigger committed the two murders because it finally gave him power and control over his own life, as well as the lives of others. One of the quotes I found most compelling is: “He had done this. He had brought all this about. In all of his life these two murders were the most meaningful things that had ever happened to him.” In this statement it seems as though the author is setting up a sympathetic situation, in which the reader is supposed to realize the tragedy of Bigger's life and see the anger and sadness that caused him to kill Mary and Bessie. However, Bigger also exhibits very disturbing behavior throughout the book that leads readers to see him as somewhat evil. What kind of feelings do you have toward Bigger, and what kind of feelings do you think the Richard Wright wants you to have toward him? Do you sympathize with him, and believe that the murders are a result of alienation and prejudice against him, or do you think he is simply a violent person who calculated to punish others for his shortcomings?

Bigger and Max

Towards the end of the novel, starting on page 320( but I have an old copy of the book and the pages are different)Max, Bigger's lawyer, is questioning Bigger about why he killed Mary and Bessie, and Bigger pours his heart out to Max. In a quotation following this, Bigger reflects on their conversation. "He could not remember when he had felt as relaxed as this before. He had not thought of it or felt it while Max was speaking to him; it was not until after Max had gone that he discovered he had spoken to Max as he had never spoken to anyone in his life; not even himself. And his talking had eased from him a heavy burdon(333)."
Of all the people Bigger has encountered in his life, why does he choose Max to bare his soul to? Why not his mother or one of his friends? Is it simply the knowledge that Max is the man that could save his life? Does he think that his words will turn the entire situation around? Or does Bigger see something in Max that he can connect to, even though Max is white? Is Richard Wright trying to make a connection between the oppression of African Americans and the oppression of Jews in a society where differences are not excepted?

Masking a fear or simply doing what he wants?

Greatly titled, the first book of Native Son is called Fear. This is in reference to the Bigger's fear of whites and the whiteness of the world, but also of the fear many people have, not necessarily black, but whites also. What Bigger fears leads him to do things he may not want to. When he kills the young heiress, he obviously wants to cover up what he has done. Do you think he has immense fear of what could happen to him, or do you think he believes this is just what he needs to do? When wraps the head in newspaper, does he just want to cover it up or does he want to cover up the fact that she is white, someone he has come to fear?

When he wakes the next morning, he feels a sense of being reborn. Is that because he is afraid of what will happen to him in the future, or does he really feel as though this was an experience to lead him a new life?

Bigger's "Toughness"

In the beginning of book one, Bigger presents himself as a tough young man who knows how to handle whatever is thrown at him; howver, we see this as a shell of toughness which is only cover of his true fears. This is proven when he fights Gus to show how strong he is we see that he’s really only fighting to deflect attention away from the truth that he is very fearful and weaker than they think. His fear comes out again when Bigger goes to meet Mr. Dalton. His demeanor changes entirely from being tough but hiding his fear to completely surrendering himself to saying “yessuh” in answer to everything Mr. Dalton asks of him. Why does he all of a sudden change his behavior in the presence of Mr. Dalton? Why in particular is Bigger even more afraid of Mary Dalton?

Bigger's View of Family

"He hated his family because he knew that they were suffering and that he was powerless to them" (10). This quote occurs in the beginning of the novel while describing the family and where the famiy is living. Bigger doesn't seem to have a close relationship with his family and doesn't want to help them, which is shown when Bigger states that he doesn't want to take the job with the Dalton family. He is also always in a bad mood and conversation usually ends in argument between family members. What do you think Bigger's view of family is and what is his role in the family? Why do you think Bigger treats his family the way he does? Is there something deeper inside that bothers Bigger about his family? Why does Bigger end up taking the job with the Dalton family when he feels he can't help his family?

The Power of Fears

Though Bigger comes from a family in need of his financial support, he is less than thrilled to work. Bigger is so fearful of their situation at home, he blocks it out so he does not have to deal with it the same as the rest of his family. Bigger's dislike for working though could not be out weighed by his fear of the white population, which caused his to back out of the robbery of a white business. Though Mr. Dalton seems generous in his ways of helping Bigger, he seems to actually be trying to ease his own conscience for his exploitation of the black population in Chicago. The Dalton's deep fear and prejudice against communists is more powerful than their common sense at times, which is why Bigger tried to blame communist's for Mary's murder. Which fear seems to be more detrimental to the characters lives? Do you think it is strange that Bigger's fear of white men was used in exploiting the communist fear in another man? Bigger's fear seems to be taking a snowball effect on his life causing more and more problems. Do you think its possible for Bigger to turn his life around or is it too late?

Richard Wright as Novel's Narrator

Richard Wright's narrative style starkly contrasts with Hemingway's lean prose, which was guided by his iceberg theory. Native Son is also different from Faulkner's 'stream of consciousness' novels, as Wright uses the omniscient narrator to explain the protagonist's thoughts. While all three of these authors wrote about deeply personal subjects, Richard Wright seems to be injecting the most blatant, direct commentary into his novel, by his narrator's analysis of Bigger Thomas' psychology.

"The moment a situation became so that it exacted something of him, he rebelled. That was the way he lived; he passed his days trying to defeat or gratify powerful impulses in a world he feared." Pg. 42

Because the issues brought up in this novel are intended to make a political statement, it seems that the narrator's voice is that of Wright himself. If one agrees with that assumption, what does the overall tone of the novel seem to be (only analyzing part 1, "Fear") ? Is it complete sympathy for Bigger and total condemnation of whites in society or is it a call for black men to be more ambitious and rise above their surroundings, as Wright himself did? To what degree does the narrator place responsibility on Bigger for his own actions?