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?
6 comments:
Overall, I agree with Professor Schaub that Bigger is ultimately meant to be an entirely unsympathetic character. Yes, he is the unfortunate product of racism and prejudice and, barring that racism, he may not have become a murderer. Overall, however, Bigger's true problem lies in his quick temper and violent tendencies, which lead him to kill in order to solve problems. Wright provides the reader with multiple examples of characters who are given the same resources Bigger had been given and manage to create a better life for themselves, as well as characters, like the Communists, who bring about social change and freedom without the radical violence that Bigger views as his only escape. With Bigger as an example, Wright seeks to show that racism magnifies and intensifies the flaws of the human character, but he does not seek to prove that it creates flaws where there are none.
Our disgust for Bigger's actions is supposed to occur. Wright does not intend for the reader to sympathize with Bigger. Instead, he wants the reader to question why Bigger acts the way he does. By making Bigger into a monster, Wright is, in effect, convicting white society of Bigger's crimes because he feels that white suppression, not Bigger as an individual, is responsible for what he does. Thus, all of our contempt for Bigger should be transferred to feeling the need to fundamentally alter the conditions in society that prompted Bigger's actions and formed his psychology.
I can sympathize with Bigger but not forgive him for what he has done. It is true that Mary's murder can be interperated as an accidnent but he has no one to blame but himslef for the way he acted after the muder (like a guilty theiving peron) and for his assination of Bessie. He did not have to kill Bessie but he does. because he needs to exert dominance over all women, white or black.
Even though the actions that Bigger takes (committing two murders) I still feel sympathy towards him. The book is written in a style and tone that allows and almost forces readers to really want to sympathize with Bigger. Although almost any book will try and portray anger towards a murderer, Native Son gives a different feelings of wanting to care and feel bad for a murderer.
I believe that I had more sympathy for bigger at the beginning because the murder of Mary was out of fear of being caught. It was an accident. As the story progresses though, we see more and more that he is unwilling to take responsibility for his life and his actions. As he takes Bessie's life, i lose respect for him. He deals with his problems in bad ways. I think that Richard Wright does this on purpose. He wants us to think of not just Bigger, but as everyone in the black community as a whole. He wants us to feel the pain that these people go through emotionally, not just physically. I think that the murders were a result of both environment and a terrible decision. He obviously didn't have to kill, but when put in the situation, this was all he could think to do.
I think Bigger has trouble dealing with the life he was born into causing me to feel that this is somewhat more of a personal issue. I lose sympathy for Bigger when he commits the second murder. Mary's death was more of an accident whereas Bessie's was out of madness. I think Richard wants the reader to see that the social problems, in this case white supremecy, causes pain amongst the black race leading to acts of violence from those who don't wish to be overpowered. Overall, I don't sympathize Bigger, however, I understand the reason for his actioins.
Post a Comment