Importance Of Bigger In Richard Wright's Native Son

In 1930s Chicago, African Americans were oppressed and looked down upon by society. In Richard Wright’s Native Son, the protagonist Bigger Thomas, who resides in Chicago, is a victim of persecution which eventually leads to his own death. Even though Bigger is guilty of actual crimes, authorities and society fail to grasp the real problems motivating his frustration and wrongdoings. Instead, society perceives Bigger not as an individual but as part of a troublesome black culture that plagues Chicago. Wright makes readers sympathize with Bigger by portraying prejudice, the blindness of others, and a sense of entrapment. The first way Wright makes readers sympathize with Bigger is with prejudice. Many characters in native son treat Bigger unfairly …show more content…
Bigger feels trapped and cheated by his white oppressors in every facet of his life. He expresses his frustration by stating, “I’d like to be in business. But what chance has a black guy got in business? We ain’t got no money. We don’t own no mines, no railroads, no nothing. They don’t want us to. They make us stay in one little spot” (Wright 354). Bigger feels that his choices in life are limited by white people. He mentions that he must stay in “one little spot” because of the white people who destroy his dreams and aspirations of becoming a businessman. In this way, Bigger feels trapped in the life choices that are available to him. The sense of entrapment that Bigger describes eventually leads to him lashing out violently (Irr). Wright makes the reader feel pity for Bigger for his sense of entrapment because the reader recognizes that Bigger has incredibly limited choices in life and that his entire existence is dictated by his white …show more content…
Three important ways Wright makes readers sympathize with Bigger is with prejudice, the blindness of others, and a sense of entrapment. Mario Balotelli once said, “Racism springs from ignorance.” Bigger’s issues in his life ultimately spring from the ignorance of his fellow American citizens. Their outright prejudiced remarks, their blindness toward the truth, and their trapping of African Americans in a dark corner of society which crushes the aspirations of the men, women, and children who live there becomes too much for Bigger to handle. His pain and suffering are repeatedly displayed throughout the novel, which leads to the reader not only understanding his frustration, but sympathizing with it. In closing, there is a strong sense of empathy for Bigger because he is simply a young man who only wants to live a free and prosperous life; however, because of the oppression of his race, he is not given opportunities to achieve his dreams for the