Richard Wright’s Native Son emphasizes the role society has on an individual through the actions of the protagonist Bigger Thomas. The profound racism found in Chicago in the 1930s made Bigger feel trapped and threatened. Feeling trapped, Bigger lashed out in an attempt to survive; he believed that society had left him no other option. Since society controls where Bigger can live, what level of education he may get as a black man and what type of job he is able to achieve, Bigger Thomas feels trapped and lashes out in an attempt to survive in the white dominated world which is shown through the gruesome murders of Mary Dalton and Bessie Mears; consequently, showing that it is human instinct to fight for survival even if it means using violence.
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Black people were grouped together and separated from the whites in life. The South Side Real Estate Company helped enclose the black people into the Black Belt by only renting them houses in certain areas so that they would not need to interact with the whites. Mr. Dalton’s company also charged outrageous rates for the small, rundown apartments he rented to the blacks while he offered the whites better houses for cheaper rent just because they were white. Bigger feels trapped by society because the white people control all aspects of his life, he has no power over his life. Whites give blacks menial jobs with low pay which keeps them from purchasing a better life; it keeps them from being able to afford a house outside of the Black Belt or to be able to afford a higher education. Unable to continue his education past the eighth grade, Bigger is unable to achieve the better jobs that require an education, thus keeping him trapped. Bigger feels that “it’s just like living in jail” (20). His freedom has been restricted by whites and he his life is essentially in their hands. Powerless to escape poverty, Bigger and his family remain trapped in their one room apartment in the Black Belt living paycheck to …show more content…
Having already told Bessie the truth about his involvement in Mary 's death, Bigger knew that he could not leave Bessie behind while he ran from police because she would talk which forced him to take her to the abandoned apartment building with him. After using her one last time for sex, which Bigger used to escape from the harsh realities of the world, he understood that Bessie was in no position to be taken along with him because she was unstable and would only want money to drink which he would not be able to give to her while on the run. He “[saw] what he must do to save himself”, he could not possibly leave Bessie Mears behind neither could he take her with him, he had to kill her, it was his only way of surviving (230). Bigger Thomas used the violent murder of Bessie to let all of his pent up anger out. Society has restricted Bigger so much that sex is no longer a viable option for him to escape from reality. He feels too much anger towards white people to just ignore it, it is too much for him to keep to himself so he lets out all of his emotions through the killing of Bessie. During the killing, Bigger is out of breath, Richard Wright uses short, monosyllabic diction to emphasize the fact that Biggers emotions are so powerful that he can not think straight, he is not able to form long, cohesive sentences, only
Black people were grouped together and separated from the whites in life. The South Side Real Estate Company helped enclose the black people into the Black Belt by only renting them houses in certain areas so that they would not need to interact with the whites. Mr. Dalton’s company also charged outrageous rates for the small, rundown apartments he rented to the blacks while he offered the whites better houses for cheaper rent just because they were white. Bigger feels trapped by society because the white people control all aspects of his life, he has no power over his life. Whites give blacks menial jobs with low pay which keeps them from purchasing a better life; it keeps them from being able to afford a house outside of the Black Belt or to be able to afford a higher education. Unable to continue his education past the eighth grade, Bigger is unable to achieve the better jobs that require an education, thus keeping him trapped. Bigger feels that “it’s just like living in jail” (20). His freedom has been restricted by whites and he his life is essentially in their hands. Powerless to escape poverty, Bigger and his family remain trapped in their one room apartment in the Black Belt living paycheck to …show more content…
Having already told Bessie the truth about his involvement in Mary 's death, Bigger knew that he could not leave Bessie behind while he ran from police because she would talk which forced him to take her to the abandoned apartment building with him. After using her one last time for sex, which Bigger used to escape from the harsh realities of the world, he understood that Bessie was in no position to be taken along with him because she was unstable and would only want money to drink which he would not be able to give to her while on the run. He “[saw] what he must do to save himself”, he could not possibly leave Bessie Mears behind neither could he take her with him, he had to kill her, it was his only way of surviving (230). Bigger Thomas used the violent murder of Bessie to let all of his pent up anger out. Society has restricted Bigger so much that sex is no longer a viable option for him to escape from reality. He feels too much anger towards white people to just ignore it, it is too much for him to keep to himself so he lets out all of his emotions through the killing of Bessie. During the killing, Bigger is out of breath, Richard Wright uses short, monosyllabic diction to emphasize the fact that Biggers emotions are so powerful that he can not think straight, he is not able to form long, cohesive sentences, only