Native Son: Character Actions Defines Their Individual

Personalities and Belief Systems

Richard Wright's novel, Native Son, consisted of various main and

supporting character to deliver an effective array of

personalities and expression. Each character's actions defines

their individual personalities and belief systems. The main

character of Native Son, Bigger Thomas has personality traits

spanning various aspect of human nature including actions

motivated by fear, quick temper, and a high degree of

intelligence. Bigger, whom the novel revolves around, portrays

various personality elements through his actions.

Many of his action suggest an overriding response to fear, which

stems from his exposure to a harsh social climate in which a clear

line between acceptable behavior for white's and black's exists.

His swift anger and his destructive impulses stem from that fear

and becomes apparent in the opening scene when he fiercely attacks

a huge rat. The same murderous impulse appears when his secret

dread of the delicatessen robbery impels him to commit a vicious

assault on his friend Gus. Bigger commits both of the brutal

murders not in rage or anger, but as a reaction to fear. His

typical fear stems from being caught in the act of doing

something socially unacceptable and being the subject of

punishment. Although he later admits to Max that Mary Dalton's

behavior toward him made him hate her, it is not that hate which

causes him to smother her to death, but a feeble attempt to evade

the detection of her mother. The fear of being caught with a

white woman overwhelmed his common sense and dictated his

actions. When he attempted to murder Bessie, his motivation came

from intense fear of the consequences of "letting" her live.

Bigger realized that he could not take Bessie with him or leave

her behind and concluded that killing her could provide her only

"merciful" end.

The emotional forces that drive Bigger are conveyed by means other

than his words. Besides reactions to fear, his actions demonstrate

an extremely quick temper and destructive impulse as an integral

part of his nature. Rage plays a key part in his basic nature,

but does not directly motivate the murders he commits. Rage does

not affect Bigger's intelligence and quick thinking and it becomes

evident during the interview with Briton. The detective makes

Bigger so angry that the interrogation becomes a game to Bigger,

a game of logic and wills, of playing the stupid negro, and

telling the man exactly what he wants to hear. The game Bigger

plays during the interrogation shows his great intelligence and

ability to think quickly on his feet. Bigger also displayed his

intelligence in the creation of the ransom note. Using the

situation to his advantage, Bigger wrote a ransom note to extort

Mary's parents for money. To make the note even more convincing

and to dissuade blame from himself, Bigger signs the note with the

communist symbol of a hammer and sickle.

Although the book revolves around Bigger he possesses few good

qualities, which get his horrendous actions negate, making him an

anti-hero. He possess the violent tendencies to commit rape,

extortion of the dead girls parents, robbing, and killing innocent

people. These traits do not portray a simple victim of

circumstance, but a habitual criminal acting out against a

society. While Bigger dominates the story, his appalling actions

make him a man that the reader can not look upon as a hero. In

fact the author punishes the anti-hero character by condemning him

to death for his crimes.

One of the two most sympathetic characterizations of white persons

in the novel comes from the character of Jan Erlone, Mary Dalton's

friend. He exhibits an enthusiastic personality and represents an

idealistic young organizer for the Communist party. Mary's

parents and their servant Peggy distrust his motives. Bigger

initially expresses a distaste for "reds" when responding to Jan's

friendly advances during their first meeting. While receiving

distrust from those around him, Jan retains a simple belief in the

equality for all men, regardless of social class or race.

Throughout Jan's first meeting with Bigger, he regards Bigger with

the utmost respect. During the course of the night, Jan sits in

the front of the car with Bigger, eats with him, drinks with him,

and speaks to him as an equal. Those actions of equality portray

more than a decent man, it shows that Jan's character possesses a

strong sense of morality and honesty. Jan is also characterized

by other heroic traits, forgiveness and understanding. As an

interesting twist of fate, Jan gets Bigger an attorney, and

demonstrates that he could forgive Bigger for implicating him for

Mary's "kidnapping".

The second sympathetic white character, Boris A. Max, portrays the

Communist lawyer whom Jan brings to help Bigger. Max's legal

knowledge and his mastery of tactics are constantly in evidence.

By taking Bigger's case pro-bono, Max shows two aspects of his

nature, charity and a need to defend the oppressed. By accepting

the task of Bigger's defense, he makes it painfully clear that his

true intent originates from a desire to protect the image of the

communist party. That passion does not adversely affect his skill

and he diligently works to protect his client from injustice. The

moment Bigger accepts Max's offer to represent him, Max protects

his client's interests and insists upon his rights. Max

constantly demonstrates his intelligence, in his pursuit of

justice and a fair trial for his client Bigger Thomas.

The members of the Dalton family represent the naivet‚ of whites

to the realities of social oppression. Mr. and Mrs. Dalton

attempt to correct their wrongs by donating to various black

charities. They create a boy's club, donating ping pong tables

and various other impractical items. In doing so, they do not

make any personal sacrifices and basically give only minimal

personal involvement to the cause. They have not developed a

genuine understanding of the economic and social conditions of the

black people. Mr. and Mrs. Dalton are naive about their lack of

impact on the social and economic situations of the blacks that

they attempt to help. The author does not make them callous or

bigoted. Their daughter, the wild twenty-one year old Mary

Dalton, lacks the refinement of her parents. She wants to treat

others as equals, but her actions make Bigger uncomfortable and he

grows to resent her for her actions.

Bigger's family and Bessie Mears represent, the "beaten" negros.

They have all accepted the that their lives will never have the

possibility for improvement. They feel doomed to remain in the

pits of the slums. A lost outlook on life represents Bessie's

most outstanding personality trait. Through her self-awareness

she reiterates in multiple references that she exists as a "lost"

soul. Bessie circumstances prevent her from going any farther in

her life. She briefly escapes with the use of alcohol which

Bigger provides her in exchange for "love". An aura of death

surrounds her even before Bigger murders her. Like Bessie,

Bigger's mother appears trapped on a one way street going nowhere.

Conflicts

An interesting aspect of Native Son develops from the many levels

of conflict occurring simultaneously in the book. On a

superficial level personal conflicts arise, but deeper conflicts

about race, social status, and political view points drive these

superficial conflicts. When the book opens Bigger has an argument

with his mother, and then his sister, about getting a job.

Confrontations like these happen constantly throughout this novel,

but neither Bigger nor the other characters grow from these

conflicts. The characters act out in rage due to stress caused by

social circumstances. Bigger's violent temper gets him into

various conflicts with his gang, a man on the roof whom he

attacks, and the fellow who owns the pool hall.

Although these actions demonstrate acts of rage, they do not

portray the true motivation for Bigger's actions. The cause of

Bigger personal conflicts stem his fear of repercussion for his

actions as a black in a white dominated society. His fear of the

consequences of being discovered with a drunk white woman, drive

Bigger Thomas to smother Mary Dalton. This fear arose because of

the non physical barriers, set up by society, between white and

black people. This tension made Bigger angry while he was forced

to secretly drive Jan and Mary around in the car and finally made

him snap. Like Bigger, the entire city demonstrates conflicts

based upon fear brought about by racial segregation. During the

progress of the man hunt, blacks and whites go at each others

throats. These various conflicts all stem from fear and racial

hatred. Although Richard Wright portrays the segregation of the

blacks, he does not omit the segregation of various social groups

such as the communists. In contrast, Jan and Max's efforts to

save Bigger stem from a struggle for equality. They too feel the

constraints of oppression, but have a philosophy and social

position with which to rebel.

Themes

Frustration and hopelessness develop as major themes of the

story. When Bigger and his friend Gus watch a sky writing plane,

Bigger expresses frustration in his statement "I could fly one of

them things if I had a chance." Discussing the impossibility of

accomplishment in the white-controlled world, Bigger expresses

hopelessness, saying, "They don't let us do nothing." When Gus

reminds Bigger that they have always known this, Bigger agrees,

but insists that he cannot accustom himself to it. "Every time I

think about it," he says, "I feel like somebody's poking a red-hot

iron down my throat." Today a good example of the same type of

frustration can be seen on the various music videos done by black

artists. These video portray, poor education and a lack of

opportunities afforded to blacks.

Oppression, hate, and the separatism between whites and blacks

also arises as a main theme. Bigger represents the oppressed but

rebellious black, in contrast the Dalton's represent naive whites,

and Jan and Max represent the oppressed communists. These various

characters hate each other without comprehend the underlying

social cause. Only the oppressed groups come to help and forgive

each other by the end of the novel, while the oppressors still

asking for bitter vengeance. The separatism become obvious while

Bigger when sits in the car with Mary and Jan. He feels afraid

and uncomfortable being treated like an equal and being allowed to

sit near them. This separatism also made his oppressors blindly

ignorant of the realities of social oppression. Separatism

affects both sides of the color line. The characters consider

each other as separate entities, never interacting on an equal

basis. Social ignorance allows the scapegoating of Bigger, to

vent the anger and rage built up from by many years of tension

between the races. A good example of separatism and oppression in

our area shows up in the conflicts between Whites and Cubans.

Arguments about English as the official language as the official

language of the US represent the manifestations of this conflict.

A notable theme that the author portrays through Bigger's actions

come from the true meaning of freedom to the oppressed. Bigger's

discovered "freedom" came to him in two instances, in both cases

while committing murder. With the death of Mary Dalton, Bigger

starts to realize that for the first time he has gone against the

law. Breaking the proverbial barrier and the proper limits of

what a black man can do in society he is no longer controlled or

restrained by another mans rules. This idea expands to note that

when Bigger himself defines the rules, he makes himself free.

Interestingly serial killers in our society have multiplied, a

common trait that they all possess is abuse in their early

lifetime. Perhaps they act out of the same misguided need for

freedom that Bigger found when committing murder.

Author's Beliefs

Bigger, his family, and Bessie all feel the affects of separatism

and oppression. Richard Wright believes in the immorality of

oppression. He uses his book as a tool to vent his frustration,

at the world that segregates negros. His characters, themes and

conflicts probably originate from his own experience of

separatism. By using such a wide range of characters, he gives

the readers who are not black an insight into the horrifically

desperate situations many poor blacks experience.

Bigger's actions toward Jan and Mary portray his resignation to

the social inequity of the color barrier. He acts simply, as a

subservient "yessah". It appears the author believes the true

wall of separation between whites and blacks is an almost

impassable division.

Jan and Max base their decisions on the equality of man. Having a

moral basis for action leads them to have a means to deal with

oppression and the ability to hope. In contrast, Bigger accepts

separatism as an immutable condition, and rebels against it by

committing crimes. Bigger receives punishment for his actions.

The author would appears to support socialist concepts as the

proper rebellion against oppression. He seems to believe in the

equality of men and the value of demonstrating it in everyday

actions.



Native Sun: Themes of Racism, Violence, And Social Injustice

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 oneŠroom 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

she was talking about. Then Peggy showed Bigger the car he was to drive the

family in. When He saw the black car, he thought about how the whites own

everything. When Bigger meets Miss Dalton, she talks to other people about

him while he is standing next to her, like he was the third person.

Richard Wright also shows how Bigger is caught up by forces he could

neither understand, or control. Bigger found a sense of freedom and

identity in acts of violence. Bigger mainly disliked his family because he

feels sorry for them. And when Bigger picks on his friend, Gus, it is

mainly out of fear of robbing Mr. Plum.

When Bigger, Mary, and Jan get drunk, Bigger takes Mary home and

accidentally kills her while trying to shut her up so her mom wouldn't know

she was drunk. Then, after Mary is dead, and her mom is gone, Bigger shoves

Mary's Body in her trunk, and carry's her downstairs. Then Bigger tries to

shove Mary's body in the furnace, but her head won't fit. So, he takes the

hatchet and cuts her head off, throwing it as well as her body, in the

furnace.

After everyone found out Bigger had killed Mary, Bigger ran to Bes

sie, his girlfriend's, house. When he arrived, he ended up telling her

everything that had happened. Bigger, after telling Bessie everything,

realizes he can't leave her alone with this knowledge. So, Bigger and

Bessie, ran to an abandoned building, where Bigger figured how hard it

would be to keep going with Bessie along. Bigger felt he had to kill her to

keep her quiet and keep her off his back, so he did.

Richard Wright also showed us the social injustice blacks had. When

Bigger got caught by the police and was jailed, he received constant

harassment. He was faced with a choice of either confess, or else be

lynched by a white crowd, which shows the violence of whites towards

blacks. At the trial Bigger was tried unlawfully. For instance: When

Buckley, the man prosecuting Bigger, tells Bigger to reenact the murder.

And throughout the trial, there was name calling in the newspapers, and at

the trial.

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