Free Native Son Essays: Bigger

Native Son: Bigger

In his most famous novel, Native Sun, Richard Wright successfully

develops three major themes: Racism, violence as a personal necessity, and

social injustice. He has captured the powerful emotions and suffering, the

frustrations and yearnings, the restlessness and hysteria, of all the

Bigger Thomas's in this grippingly dramatic novel.

Wright shows to us, through Bigger Thomas, how bad things were for the

black race. He tells how Bigger was raised in a oneªroom apartment, living

with his family and rats. The rent was very high, and his mother was barely

able to pay it. Bigger's education like most blacks at that time , did not

exceed the eighth grade. Without the help of the Relief Agency, Bigger and

his family may not have been able to keep up much longer financially.

Bigger had no money, except for the spare change his mother gives him, so

he would usually just hang out at the pool hall, which was in the black

district, or southside.

Bigger used to pull little jobs with his friends, but all of them

including Bigger wanted to pull off a big job, by robbing Blum's store.

They were afraid though, of getting caught for robbing a white man. They

know the police don't care about blacks, and would probably accuse them of

many more crimes. Luckily for Bigger, though, the Relief Agency did find

him a job with the Daltons. When Bigger went to the Daltons house for the

first time, he brought his gun, because it made him feel equal to the white

people.

When Bigger got to the Daltons house, he didn't know whether to enter

the house by the front or back door. He looks for a way to the back, and

realizes the only way in is through the front door. As he rang the

doorbell, he felt very disturbed. And when he started talking to Mr.

Dalton, Mr. Dalton asks Bigger about his past crimes, which made Bigger

feel pressured. Then Mary Dalton walked in and asked Bigger if he was in a

union, if he knew about communism, and then still more questions, until her

father finally asked her to leave the room. Bigger was afraid that this

little brat was going to get him to lose his job. Then he met Peggy, a

maid, Who asks Bigger all these questions, like he could understand what