Oppression

Callie Huber
B period

There is a clear connection between The Glass Menagerie and Native son, oppression. In Native Son, Bigger is oppressed and shunned by society for being African American, in The Glass Menagerie, Tom is an outcast of society because he is gay. Bigger and Tom are oppressed by their mothers with the heavy burden of providing a steady income for their families and both the families live in poor housing conditions, another form of society's oppression. In each story this oppression creates the characters to feel trapped, and both express a want to run away from all the responsibility and hardship. Though one story is about a man and the other a family, and both are so different in numerous ways, the bridging theme between the two writings cannot be denied. The oppression that Bigger and Tom face, though it comes in different forms, is one in the same.

In the character of Amanda in The Glass Menagerie, I also see Mrs. Dalton from Richard Wright's Native Son. Both characters believe they are helping people who need help, but never really listen to that person's side. Amanda does consider her daughter's position as a mentally disabled person, who clearly doesn't want to go to business school or try and marry a "gentleman caller". She only wishes for her daughter to blend in to the society around her, and does so by pushing for her to look as pretty as possible at all times, so that a man can come marry her after her failed attempt at getting a job. In this time period, women could either marry, or do clerical work. Since Laura already skipped her classes, Amanda wants to quickly marry her off so she doesn't have to worry about being taken care of as she grows old.
In Native Son, this same ignorance can be seen in Mrs. Dalton. Yes on the surface it seemed she wanted to help Mr. Greene, but it's clear she most likely didn't take into consideration Mr. Greene's perspective. Even if he did go to night school, his position was most likely not to improve, and the comfort he felt working for the Dalton's was surely much better than the racism he'd have to confront in the real world. Mrs. Dalton ignored that, and forced him to go to night school, believing she'd done something to help him,

Connection

My connection between Native Son and The Glass Menagerie is that in each case, the main character isn't able to reach his full potential. In Bigger's case it is his race that keeps him from getting the opportunities that he deserves. Because of this, he must resort to stealing and working at a job where he feels uncomfortable. For Tom, it is the obligation he feels towards his family that keeps him from leaving home and pursuing his dreams. His sister cannot take care of herself so he feels that he needs to provide for the family by working at a job he doesn't enjoy.

Secret Ninja Man Strikes Again! Anonymously!

At first, I was going to be glib and say that both Native Son and The Glass Menagerie were books. But then I remembered The Glass Menagerie was in fact a play. And then I remembered that I want a good grade in American Studies. So my connection is the fact that both main characters, Bigger and Tom, don’t really fit in. Bigger is a black man stuck in a white world, and therefore just wants to get away. (So naturally, throwing someone into a furnace is the appropriate reaction. (This, by the way, was not a parenthetical notation. It was simply my thoughts inside parentheses.)) Tom is a grown man, who is stuck with his obnoxious mother who is stuck in the past. His plan throughout the whole book, (I’m sorry, throughout the whole play), is to leave and go do whatever he wants, wherever he wants. Although both have this sense of being trapped, the two react to it differently. Bigger lashes out violently, such as with the rat and with Gus. Oh yeah, and Mary and Bessie. And that police officer. Tom, on the other hand, constantly expresses his disapproval, aiming his anger and frustration towards his mother. In addition to that, he finds another outlet for these feelings in movie theaters (though not the way Bigger does). He lives his dreams of being somewhere else through the heroes and adventurers in the movies, and spends most of his time there. Plus, he drinks a lot, which probably helps him as well.

Cordially,

Matthew Dever

Alana C

In Native Son Bigger is contantly trying to escape from his family and do what he wants to do. In The Glass Menagerie Tom has that deep desire to get away from his family, especially his mother, for good. They both ultimatly want a common goal, a life of freedom where no one is holding them back. Neither wants to be responcible for their mothers or siblings. In the end they both wind up doing something that finally seperates them from their families; Tom runs away and Bigger kills two people, one being a white rich female.

Cooper Swenson's Response

My connection between Native Son (NS) and The Glass Menagerie (TGM) is that the characters are both victims of oppression. In NS, Bigger Thomas is consistently made to feel self conscious in his black skinned body. He is unable to rise through society because of the tense circumstances in which he was born. For example, when he first arrives at the Dalton's household, he doesn't even know what door to enter in. In TGM, Tom, a white middle class man, even feels the harshness of oppression during the 19th century. Even though he is a fully grown man, he is unable to be successful in the world, because in the book he is being held back by his family, but in actuality his sexual preference. During this time in history, events such as McCarthyism were well underway and caused anyone who was different to either hide it or regret it. With things like this going on around them, it is no surprise that people like T. Williams suffered from addictions of many substances, including alcohol.

my account wasnt working, so i gave my answer to emily to post, but its now working

just wanted to explain the situation.


heres my post


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One connection I made between Native Son and The Glass Menagerie was how the family was structured. In The Glass Menagerie, Amanda was the only parental figure and their family depended on Tom to provide a financial income for the family and likewise with Bigger in Native Son. The interactions between Amanda and Tom were very similar between Bigger and Mrs. Thomas as well. There were constant arguments and pressure from the mothers over what went on in the lives of their sons, and how they should change them and do something more constructive instead of wasting their time.

This is Eddy Anderson`s post:

One connection I saw between The Glass Menagerie and Native Son was the use of animal symbolism. In Native son, the black rat, always scurrying around the streets and living in dirty holes, represented the black community. The White cat, majestic, all seeing, all knowing, represents the white community. In The Glass Menagerie, Laura’s glass menagerie represents her fragility, and shows her separation from the world everyone else lives in.

Both Native Son and the Glass Menagerie display a constant mood of suppression. In Native Son, Bigger and his family were suppressed their whole entire lives because of their race. Their skin color automatically disabled them from achieving what a "normal" white, American can acheive. Bigger was so suppressed his whole life by society that he generated this toxic need to disobey. For example, Bigger spent his mother's money on the movies and wanted to rob Blum's store. Then, when Bigger killed Mary he felt a strong sense of entitlement because he was given the feeling of breaking the boundary of suppression. The sad part about this situation is Bigger was never given a real chance to achieve because of his race and as a result of that he only felt power through rebellion. Tenessee Williams felt that same feeling of suppression living as a gay man, with a mentally ill sister, and a single mother in a world of social conformity. He demonstrates this feeling in his characters. Tom starts off the play getting his only joy from escaping to the movies and staring out into the fire escape with hope that one day he will walk down those steps and never return. Laura is unbearably shy and feels inferior because of her handicap. She hides herself in her world of glass animals because she feels the real world is not willing to take in her in. Amanda self-suppresses herself by living in the past. She fails to see anything as is, especially when it comes to her family. She forces the idea of gentlemen callers on Laura regardless of who Laura is as a person. She also uses Jim's arrival as a way for her to return to her southern belle past of beauty and charm. Meanwhile, Tom and Laura's father's picture hangs on the wall as a constant reminder that they will never achieve what an American family is supposed to achieve because they do not have a father like perfect society insists. At the end of the play, Tom leaves, he gives up on the life he was living. Like Bigger, Tom leaving was his way of rebelling from the life he was placed in. Both the Glass Menagerie and Native Son show that if you have differences that separate you from "normal" or "correct" idea of society, then the same idea of American Dream may not be attainable. Our society likes to give off the idea that anyone can work hard and achieve what they wish. The catch is that the term "anyone" is biased. Some people are so suppressed by their differences that they are never given a fighting chance in the same society that preaches the "equal" American Dream.

Liz Kleisner.

In both Native Son and the Glass Menagerie, the characters struggle with blindness. In Native Son, Mrs. Thomas has unrealistic expectations for her son, by getting Bigger the job with the Daltons, she's convinced her family will be able to rise above their poverty. Amanda, in the Glass Menagerie, thinks finding a husband for her daughter will be the key to rise in the world, and like Mrs. Thomas, she puts an unfair amount of pressure on her children. Neither family has a father figure, so the mothers' put all their faith in the future on their children, expecting them to solve the families problems. If Mrs. Thomas and Amanda tried to make the change for their families themselves, they might be able to achieve the American dream more successfully.
-Tarryn

The Glass Menagerie and Native Son

I completely agree with Linnea. I also think that the mother to son relationship is very similar. In the Glass Menagerie, Amanda wants Tom to do something with his life besides going to the movies every night. She wants him to not follow in his fathers foot steps and she is afraid that he might and that is the reason why she wants him to continue to work. In Native Son, Mrs.Thomas wants Bigger to get a good job that will help with her family's income. Mrs.Thomas also feels that if she doesn't push her son into striving to do good, he will end up just like his father, gone. In both books, the mothers want the best for their sons, and they will do anything to help them succeed.

The Glass Menagerie and Native Son

In both books, it is apparent that none of the characters are happy with the life they are living. For example, in Native Son, Bigger resents white people for the restrictions they place upon him. He doesn't want to be treated differently just because of his skin color. This is shown when he is admiring the plane flying through the sky, and expresses his desire to be able to fly to his friend. Also, in Native Son, the mother wishes that she could provide better for her children. She pressures Bigger to take the job at the Dalton's house, so they can have more money for food and maybe, eventually, a better place to live. In The Glass Menagerie, Amanda lives in the past. She constantly tells stories about all the "gentleman callers" and "Blue Mountain". Tom despises his workplace, and as a grown man, he doesn't seem happy about the fact that he is still living with his mother. Laura is insecure with herself, and feels that she is going to grow up alone. In both books it seems like all the characters are trying to look for an escape from themselves. For example, in The Glass Menagerie, it seems as if Amanda is trying to relive her past through her children. In Native Son, however, Bigger is trying to escape his resent of white people by working for the Dalton's, which only leads to worse things.

Jackie Krukowski

The connection that I found between The Glass Menagerie and Native Son was the relationship between the mother and son. In Native Son, Mrs. Thomas was always pushing Bigger to make sure he got a job at the Dalton's so that the rest of the family can have more income. Mrs.Dalton doesn't seem to push Vera and Buddy nearly as much, because they are younger are aren't responsible enough to handle a job yet. Similar actions were in The Glass Menagerie, between Amanda and Tom. Amanda is constantly getting on him about not going to the movies all the time, and that he is lying to her when he goes late at night. In both of these examples from each book, it shows how the mother (who are both the only parent) pressure the oldest men in the house to make sure that they are doing something well with their lives so that they don't end up like their fathers.

1.Make a connection between Native Son and The Glass Menagerie.

My connection between Native Son and The Glass Menagerie is that in both books there was no father figure and they couldn't achieve their american dream, the Thomas family and the Wingfield family. In The Glass Menagerie Amanda's american dream was to be married and to be a good mother and wife, but since there is no husband for her, her american dream is not fulfilled, Laura's american dream is to not be so shy and since her mother is always putting her down she's never going to feel good about herself, and Tom's american dream is to leave, like his father did, and to do what he wants, when he wants. In Native Son the Thomas family only lives in a one room apartment, and Bigger's dream is to also do what he wants, but it's impossible because of his family's status and his own status.

Connection

One thing I've noticed between the Glass Menagerie and Native Son is the idea of this unreachable American Dream. For the families of both Tom and Bigger are surrounded by other families achieving their goals and living it up in their societies. For the two families we examine, however, this dream seems to get further and further away with each passing week. They struggle more than their successful counterparts for food and shelter yet enjoy less privileges. For Native Son it would be easy to associate the family's struggles to their race, but in the Glass Menagerie, there are no racial issues present. The mother to son relationship is also a very prevalent connection, as it causes friction within the families and adds to the conflicts at hand.

A connection I saw between The Glass Menagerie and Native Son was that for both of the main characters Bigger and Tom and their families, the American Dream is always out of reach for them. Bigger is a black man stuck in a white society where he go anywhere, get any job he wants or go to school; he`s forced to stay in a bad situation the rest of his life. Tom is also forced to live in a terrible life with his mother and sister; he does not have the strength to walk out on them like his father did and leave behind Laura. But he does not want to spend the rest of his life in a warehouse factory, instead, he has dreams of writing poetry, much like Bigger has a dream of flying a plan one say. There is also a connection between Tom`s mother and Bigger`s they both nag on their boys to go out and find a job, so they can support the family, and they live in a run down apartment.

Connection Between Native Son and The Glass Menagerie

In both Native Son and The Glass Menagerie I believe it is apparent that the American Dream is not attainable for everybody. In Native Son, the Thomas family has everything working against them: they are black, they are poor, Bigger was accused of murder of a white girl, and similar to The Glass Menagerie the Thomas children had no father figure; essentially, the Thomas family did not fit what was desired and therefore could not reach the American Dream. Additionally, Bigger Thomas let society's biases of the color of his skin hinder his potential. In The Glass Menagerie, the Wingfield family has the pressure of society on them as well. They don't fit the picture of social conformity because they live in a poor tenement, Laura is disabled, and they don't have a father figure. Because of this, they are unable to reach the American Dream. After reading these two works of literature, I don't think it is possible for just anybody to reach the American Dream, and I believe social conformity plays a large role in this as well. If you are not "normal" by society's standards then you will not be able to progress towards the American Dream, and ultimately be successful.

At the beginning of book one I had some sympathy for Bigger. You can't control where you come from or what situation you are born into. However, after learning more about him I lost most of that sympathy. It was clear that he was not trying to get out of where he was in by choosing crime over finding a job. Then in book two, he he tried to blame Mary's murder on Jan. This made me lose all sympathy for him. I understand why he acted the way he did after he killed Mary, but later he chose to try and pass him problems on to someone else.

I never really sympathized Bigger, at the beginning of the book he seemed like a bit of a jackass and I still think he is one now. He just seemed like a very angry, unstable person and I think the majority of that is his own fault. In book II, He almost got worse. In book I, he was horrible to his friends and family, he seemed lazy, and he always had a chip on his shoulder. In book II, he is the same, but arrogant and proud about it, and that is a recipe for further bad things to happen.

In the beginning of Book I I sympathized for Bigger because he was living a difficult life with his family in a run down building in a place where white people were "far superior" to balck people like him. Then I found out that he wouldn't do anything to help his family, he refused to get a good job, he hung out with a gang that got into all kinds of trouble, and he stole from his neighbors. At the middle of Book I I stopped feeling sorry for him anymore for those reasons. Now that I have read Book II the way I feel about Bigger is the same because I think Bigger is responcible for Mary's death and could have avoided it (as explained in the first post) but I think he is a lot smarter than portrayed in the first book. This is because he is now scheming all of the possibilities of how to handle the situations he is faced with. When he is first asked questions by the Daltons he goes through every version of every story that he can come up with in his head before he choses the one that best suits the events, the Daltons' reactions, and his needs. He gives them someone they dislike that stands for something they hate as the suspect to take attention away from him.

In the beginning of book one, I had mixed feelings about Bigger. I hated the way that he would treat his family members and friends. He acted like he had no feelings for anyone and didn’t care if he hurt someone. I did have a little bit of sympathy when it comes to dealing with his race and the restrictions in life he had. He and his friends would talk about the inequality and how blacks aren’t able to do much with their life compared to white people. By the end of book one I did not like Bigger at all. When he killed Mary, I had a little sympathy for him because his goal wasn’t to kill her. The part at book one that made me hate Bigger was the way that he dealt with Mary’s dead body. I was so disgusted and thought that it was so wrong to throw her in the furnace and cut her head off with a hatchet.
After reading most of book two, I lost all respect for Bigger. The way that he is treating Bessie, as his girlfriend, shows how little he cares about Bessie and just wants to get a lot of money and run out of town. Bessie always tells Bigger how much she doesn’t want to follow through with his plan, usually while in tears. Bigger doesn’t have any feeling towards other people. He is extremely self centered and pulls people into bad situations.

What I thought of Bigger in Book I was that he wasn't up to any good and was a bad person and didn't care about other people or what they said. He did what he wanted. I had/have no sympathy for Bigger because he can and can't control his actions and he can try to choose to become an awful person or he could've chosen to not start any trouble, including robbing and killing other people from the start. How I feel about Bigger now is the same, but stronger, an awful, terrible person responsible for what he does and how he handles situations. I feel this way because it's that Bigger thinks he's the best and he feels like God. But, he has to live with the people he's killed and what he's done for his future and his family.

Emily Raymond

1.) To be honest, I feel no sympathy for Bigger as result of the final actions of Book 1. Since the man committed a crime, there should be no reason to feel bad for him because his actions were caused by his fear alone. If life simply went of for Bigger; living in the same oppressive world as before, the I would feel sympathy for him. In that situation, he would be just another poor broken soul residing in a hazardous habitat. But any crime, by my belief, cannot rid a man of any foul act he has committed against another human.
2.) As Book II progressed, I started to feel a growing resentment for Bigger Thomas. It is ironic that his name is Bigger, for I believed he would triumphantly overcome his white "masters" and rid his world of oppression. However, he has perpetrated a devastating act, one that will not end with a true ultimatum of justice. I hoped Bigger would feel regret for his crime, but he seems to be proud of his work. Bigger succeeded at doing the unthinkable, killing a white women. This "trophy" is the one life achievement he is proud of, because he finally got away with vengence against the white man. All of his fears have been subdued, and substituted for arrogance. This path will not unfold with Bigger on top.

Towards the end of book one, I didn't really care for Bigger. He had accidentally killed an innocent girl. He had killed because of his fears, his nerves, and if caught, what people would think had happened. He took advantage of a drunken rich white girl, and his consequences would later be determined. Of course, many thoughts went through his mind, a few being: where would he hide her? Should he hide her? Should he run away and try to escape?. All these thoughts ran through his mind and all he could think of was to lie. If bigger had just hidden under the girls bed, and hadn't tried to hide, he wouldn't be in this mess.
After reading most of book two, I practically hate Bigger. I feel that what he had done and what he did to cover up his crime was 100% wrong. Bigger has been taking advantage of the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Dalton believed every word of his story.. There was no reason to drag Bessie into his mess, and there was certainly no reason to kill her. What he had done was very selfish of him. He couldv'e simply left Bessie at her apartment and not have told her anything. With Bigger killing Bessie, I have lost all respect for him.

I was never a fan of Bigger. In Book 1, I saw him as an oppressed man who used that oppression as an excuse for his poor character. He was violent, aggressive, and mean towards his family and friends, and I was unable to forgive him for the way he acted towards Gus or Vera. While reading, I didn't see Bigger as a victim, rather I saw him as an aggressor. I would have had sympathy for him had he been a kind person. However, his actions lead me to think he deserves less than what little he already has. Book 2 fed my dislike of Bigger to the point where it grew to hate. He is a cold-blooded, power-hungry killer who will not hesitate to blame an innocent man for his crimes. He even seeks to profit off of his murder of Mary with his ransom scheme. And when his girlfriend, Bessie, is distraught over the crime he committed and how he dragged her into it with him, he decides to rape and murder her rather than try to comfort her. She begged him to stop, but "The loud tensity of his own body was a voice that drowned out hers." Bigger is an evil man who has put his own needs in front those of all others. He is a despicable criminal who I hope will meet justice later in the novel.

While reading Book 1 of Native Son, I felt sympathy for Bigger, because of the social restrictions placed on him, due to race. I saw the injustice Richard Wright worked into his novel, and the superior nature of wealthy white citizens. I felt that Bigger didn't act out of spite in Book 1, rather acted as he felt necessary to survive in a white mans world. I noticed the fear he felt, and his lack of comfort around the Dalton's, due to their race and social status. As I read into Book 2, I struggle a little to keep this same opinion of Bigger. I see he is still very much afraid, but he begins to develop a sense of power that he can hold over the Dalton's, through the kidnap note. I understand his motives behind the note, as a man who's been put down his whole life, the temptation to gain a little more power, or rise a little higher in the world, must be hard to ignore. I cannot personally condone his behavior, and I have lost sympathy for Bigger as he intentionally causes heartbreak on the behalf of the Dalton's, but I do understand his want to rebel against a society that has never treated him as an equal.

At the end of book 1, I did feel kind of bad for Bigger. Even though he had just committed a horrible crime, it was apparent that he had done it out of fear. I felt really bad for Bigger when he actually realized what he did because he knew that no matter what happened he would get the worst possible punishment because of the color of his skin. I stopped feeling sympathy for Bigger as soon as he decided to get rid of her body. I know he was scared when he did it and he was trying to protect himself, but he had other options (he could have left the body there). In Book II, I still have some sympathy for Bigger. He was still trying to protect himself from the murder which was not completely his fault. I do have a lot less sympathy for Bigger because of some of the things he does in Book II. I think he made a big deal about emptying the ashes out of the furnace, which led to the discovery of Mary's remains, which led to Bigger running away, (and I read ahead, so here comes a potential spoiler) which led to Bessie's murder. The reason I have less sympathy for Bigger in Book II is because I think he had more control over what he did, but everything he did he did out of fear. He didn't have to make a big deal about the furnace and he didn't have to run away. He didn't have to get Bessie involved by telling her what he had done. I think no matter what I will feel a little bit of sympathy for Bigger because the oppression put on him by society which caused Mary's murder.

In the first part of the book I had mixed feelings about Bigger because I understood how hard life was for him, but as the same time I didn`t really like him because of the way he treated his family, like when he caught the rat and swung it in Vera`s face. I did have sympathy for him though because he knew he was black, and because of that, his future was not very bright in terms of job opportunites, and having to stay living in the same conditions he was now, and I felt bad that he was going through this harsh reality at a young age. His life was just in a cycle of bad events, from robbing stores, drinking and smoking, not going in any direction.

After reading Book 2, I have no more sympathy for Bigger, after Mary`s body had been taken care of, Bigger began making plans in his mind of how to put all the blame onto Jan, and make it seem as if Mary had been kidnapped so he could make a ransom note demanding money from the Daltons for Marys safe return. He also brings Bessie into this mess and once she knows the truth about Mary, Bigger kills her by smashing her face in with a brick and throwing her down an air shaft, Bigger does this because he knows he cant bring her along to run away from cops, but he can`t leave her behind because she is completely emtionally unstable and would tell the police everything that Bigger had done. After Bigger kills Bessie, he feels empowered by all of it, he killed a rich white girl and now he had killed Bessie, he feels like he is above the law and no one can stop him.

1. After Book 1, I held a lot of sympathy for Bigger. I felt that after Mary's death for the first time in his life he had actually tried to do the right thing. He had the best intentions for himself to keep away from punishment and I feel like Mary immediatly set up for a poor fate. The second that Mary contradicted what Mr. Dalton had told him he was automatically stuck in a corner. If he denied Mary, she could tell Mr. Dalton a lie about Bigger to get him fired. If he listened to Mary, whether he killed her or not he would automatically be fired for disobeying Mr. Dalton. In the white supremecist society disobeying any white person is automatic punishment for a black man regardless of if the decision of the black man was morally right or wrong. So after Book 1, I felt that it was the color of Bigger's skin, that put him in that awful position leading up to the death of Mary.

2. At first glance, I easily lose a lot of sympathy for Bigger while reading the second Book. He moves on to make Mary's death a way for him to receive money, he talks about the how killing Mary gives him a sense of empowerment, he drags innocent Bessie into the situation putting her in a place of danger, and he manipulates everyone around him. Then when I step back and try to see the story through Bigger's eyes, I realize how sad it is that he acts and feels this way. It is truly sad that the only way he feels empowered is by killing another human being. At one point Bigger thinks to himself , " There was something he knew and something he felt; something the world gave him and something he himself had. . . . Never in all his life, with this black skin of his, had the two worlds, thought and feeling, will and mind, aspiration and satisfaction, been together; never had he felt a sense of wholeness." How sad it is that society is so corrupted, that all a black man can have to himself is a murder? On another note, How sad is it that Bigger can play the role of dumb Black man and everyone will follow along like it is only right? At one point Britten after questioning Bigger says, "aww he's a dumb cluck, he doesn't know anything." It really is sad that Bigger can use these stereotypes to his own advantage. I really do think that by getting money from the Dalton's (aside from keeping the pressure off him) is really another desperate act to less inferior to white society. In a less dramatic sense, I keep seeing a connection between Bigger and drowned out celebrities that make bad decisions to feel that empowerment of attention again. They will do anything just to be noticed. Though Bigger's situation and that of a washed up celebrity is completely different, they both show humanities desperation to feel a sense of power and ownership. Although I do not approve of anything Bigger is doing, I can see that his reactions are just deep down coming from a place desperation and lifetime of living in a corrupt, extremely divided society.
-Liz Kleisner.

2nd post for native son

What did you think of Bigger in Book I? Did you have any sympathy for him? Why? Why not?

In book one i completely felt some sort of sympathy for Bigger, I blamed most of what happened (Marry's death) on Mary and the society he grew up in.(I say society in that he grew up, they said that a black man is worthless and whites should not be seen fraternizing with one, if something bad happens its usually blamed in the black person.)If i was him I would be extremely nervous and Mary was really naive.

You see Mary in the book when she's talking in the limo, in her own sort of way, knowing how society is is wrong, but with her word choice you see how wrong she really is in that she separates herself from bigger and categorizes blacks as a thing having one emotion and judging/stereotyping.

Now that you have read in to Book II, how do you feel about Bigger now and why do you feel this way?

Bigger has completely changed his audited, and in my eyes he's being a little cocky and taking an over advantage rather then staying in the shadows and acting normal which in my opinion is what should have happened.

Bigger has always been dangerous but when we meet him he sort of gets out of his funk and you expect him to keep getting better, but then he goes back into his dangerous i don't care but with an extra confidence boost..which is lethal.

You see this when he's plotting to get his girlfriend to help him out, he knows he's completely using her, knowing he's putting her in danger, but obviously does not care seeing as how he threatens to kill her if she doesn't help him, even though the whole time she said she wouldn't its to dangerous.

I feel sympathy and very little else for the unfortunate Bigger. When you are tossed head first into a hostile world, the natural fight-or-flight instinct kicks in. For most of the Blacks (including Bigger in Book 1), it is the flight reaction. Avoid contact with whites, pretty much bow your head and avoid pissing them off. This remains the same for the majority in Book 2, but Bigger kills Mary, and upon his reflection of the events, the “flight” instinct switches to “fight”. You could call this his fatal mistake, but he is lashing out, expressing the anger that has built up in him and in all blacks. For the first time in his life, he feels superior to the white society. It’s hard to blame someone who has been oppressed his entire life for wanting some small piece of revenge. He desperately wants to preserve that feeling of power. Bigger feels that taking advantage of his accidental murder is a justified, even a noble thing to do. His views may be slightly skewed, but overall his mission is good. You could argue that he was being selfish by smothering a woman, burning her body, writing a ransom note, and smashing his girlfriend to death with a brick, and you might be right. But if you read between the lines, it becomes clear that Bigger Thomas is a hero, taking a stand for the black community, and valiantly becoming a martyr for his noble cause.

moots

I feel that bigger is going to get worse in book two and make even worse decisions than he did in book 1. I think this because he killed mary and now he is getting himself deeper and deeper. What i have read so far into book 2 my predicition is right so far. I still belive that this is societys fault for the way bigger acts.

how do you feel about bigger in book one and two?

There is a large gap between book one and two in Native Son. We see Bigger go from being degraded by the whites to manipulating all of them in hopes of escaping the consequences of his actions. In book one, we see communists portrayed through Jan and wealthy families portrayed through the Dalton’s trying to create broader horizons for Bigger. However, it seems that these “majorities” only pursue their actions because they want to be the idealistic, worldly human. They want to put a veil over the prejudices society imposes over blacks. Ultimately, these actions show no recognition for what Bigger wants… and this is what built up my sympathy for Bigger. Bigger is a living, breathing human, not a toy. Mary’s actions infuriate me… she leads Bigger into dangerous situations, as if being associated with a white person was not enough for society to pass judgments. These actions force me as the reader to feel sympathy, because you see a member of society being degraded because of his skin color. You flip each page with the optimistic mindset hoping that the veil would be removed and people would realize that how you treat others is vital for a society functioning in unison. However in book two there is a complete 360 about how I feel towards Bigger. I see Bigger as manipulative, he is realizing that everyone is blind to the truth. Mr. Dalton is blind to his daughter’s actions, therefore giving Bigger the power to recreate what happened the night of Mary’s death. Bessie, Bigger’s “girlfriend” is blind to the fact that he is using her for lust and not for love. Bigger has Bessie agree to his scheme of a “kidnapping” letter so that she cannot leave his side during hard times. This takes away the sympathy I feel for Bigger, because it is proof that Bigger seems to care about no one else but himself.

I think that society is vitally, but not completely responsible for bigger's actions. We know that Bigger is angry because of the way white people treat black people and we know that he is afraid to act normal around a white person. He is afraid to act normal around white people because he thinks that if he lets his guard down he will be punished, or even killed. This fear causes Bigger to act like he is "supposed" to around whites, like not looking them in the eye and calling them sir and mam because he knows that he will be treated in return like he is "supposed" to be treated. But Mary Dalton is different. Mary is not your typical white person during these times of extreme racism. She, unlike many other whites that Bigger knows how to act around, treats Bigger like he is one of them. Mary is opening up a new world to Bigger that he has never experienced before WITH A WHITE PERSON. She insinuates friendship towards Bigger and wants to get to know him personally to get a glimpse into the life of an African American. Bigger isn't used to this. That's why he is angry at her, because she is putting pressure on him to act as if racism didnt exist. He is afraid he will lose his job because he acted like a normal person. To make a long story short he takes out his frustrations by kissing her in a dark room where he won't be judged by his actions from other people and when Mrs. Dalton walks into the room, Bigger panics. He suffocates Mary because if word gets out that a black man kissed a white girl, he could get killed. Society is mostly responsible for this but he still should be held accountable for his actions, he did murder Mary even though it was out of fear caused by racism.

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Sorry this is late, I had trouble posting earlier

I would have to say that Bigger was responsible for his actions for the most part. Even though it was society that partially caused his fear, it was Bigger who let his fear get the best of him. It is possible for a person to put fear aside and not give in to it and Bigger failed. Throughout the entirety of book one, Bigger has demonstrated his ability to express his fear and anger in violent outbursts and I would say that is very possible to prevent such events. At the end of book one, Bigger kills Mary in an event that was entirely preventable. For example, if Bigger hadn’t hung around and groped Mary, he wouldn’t have any reason to be hiding from Mrs. Dalton. Also, if Bigger had paid attention to what he was doing and calmed down, he would not have accidentally smothered Mary.

-Willy Steers

…Go Saints

Krispy Cremes

I do think that society is responsible for Bigger being the way that he is beacuse society made him the way he is now and it is the reason for the way he acts and what he does and says. I dont think that he chose to be like this but if your a black back in this time thats just how things went for you. Its hard to put yourself in his shoes because a lot of people can't relate to what hes gone through, but i strongly belive that society is fully responsible for the way Bigger has turned out to be.

The society formed by the hate and cognative disonanse of the white americans is fully deserving of the balme for the murder of Mary.Bigger was doing a favor for Mary by bringing her up to her room, instead of just leaving her blitzed boddy lying on the kitchen floor. but, in this racialy intolerant society, if Mrs Dalton would have discovered Bigger by the side of mary's bed, she most likely would have responded by thinking bigger was up to no good, and possibly rapeing her intoxicated daughter, instead of bringing her up tp bed. Bigger couldnt explain why he was there in order to protect mary from her parents. so, it made perfect sense to act as he had done, because even "unracist" white people of the 1920/30s would think negativly if they found a black man in their daughters room. Biggers method for making sure he was not discovered was a little too effective, but being an uneducated black child, it was the best he could think of at the time. Bigger didnt do it in cold blod, he did it so he wasnt discovered and fasly accused in a society that would have automaticaly jump to a flase conclusion bassed on race, and race only. Greg Harris..

Although society played a part in Bigger's actions, it cannot be held entirely responsible for the murder. Bigger has obviously shown himself to be a character prone to angry outbursts, as we have seen in the beginning of the book. Even when the rat was long gone, he continued to smash its head, disproving the belief that he was killing the rat for his family. Also, he is on the verge of killing Gus, making him lick the blade of his knife and nearly stabbing him, just because he is too afraid to stand up and say he's unwilling to go through with the robbery. The murder of Mary Dalton was not the first time Bigger has shown an inability to control himself, a characteristic that cannot be blamed entirely on society.
But at the same time, society has obviously influenced the unwritten rules and ways that Bigger interacts with whites. Mary and Jan treat Bigger like a human, something he isn't used to. On page 73 Bigger says, "He scratched his head. How on earth could he learn not to say yessuh and yessum to white people in one night when he had been saying it all his life long?" The couple put him in many uncomfortable situations. Yes, he should have refused to take Mary to see Jan and attempted to stop her from getting drunk...but after years and years of being put down by society and being told to never even look a white person in the eye, how could he find this new bravery and tell the rich and powerful, white Mary Dalton "no" during his first day on the job?
But, despite the fact society influenced the ability of Bigger to say no, his actions of murdering Mary and burning her body make it impossible use society as an excuse. He has to learn to control his outbursts and emotions, but just because he can't doesn't mean society can be blamed for a gruesome murder.
- Jim O'Donnell

I do not believe society is responsible for Mary's death. Bigger may have been scared for his own life, and society may be responsible for that. However, you cannot argue that society caused you to commit murder in court. People are responsible for their own actions. Bigger made a choice to kill someone. His reasons made have been fueled by fear, but he still executed a murder.

I think that society is not responsible for what happened in book one, because Bigger was trying to protect himself and his job. He didn't intend on killing Mary. He was scared to lose his job and was afraid Mary would tell on him, even though she was passed out and wouldn't remember anything because she was completely drunk. So, I think that society is not responsible because Bigger could have just told Mrs. and Mr. Dalton the truth about Mary, but he wanted to keep his job. Also, agreeing with Matt G. society did push Bigger to become violent because of racism, but him killing Mary was not because of racism and violence it was an accident because they were both drunk and he was trying to make her quiet so Mrs. Dalton wouldn't find out that she was drunk and he was taking care of her because Mary had asked Bigger to not tell her parents. Mary's death was unintentional and not society's fault, the blame is on Bigger himself. Society made him violent, but did not make him kill Mary.
-Emily Raymond

I wouldn't excatly say that society should be 100% responsible for Mary's death. But society is somewhat resposible because, if they didn't have the mold that all black people were terrible, and useless, than it wouldn't have been such a big deal if Mary was caught kissing Bigger. But instead Bigger had to protect himself from either getting fired or possibly getting killed all because he was kissing a white girl. Bigger was very scared that Mrs. Dalton would catch them together, so that fear caused him to put the pillow over Mary to protect himself. The fear was indicated by the society.
Katie Holihan

Just as Bigger doesn't represent all blacks, Mary doesn't represent all of society. It was her own stupidity that led to her inevitably comical downfall. If she had done as she was supposed to and had just gone to school, she wouldn't have gotten drunk with Jan at a "nice black restaurant". She wouldn't have needed Bigger's assistance to get to her bed, and Bigger would never had felt the need to silence her with a pillow. Which brings me to my next point. If Mary had been smarter, she would have known to have a pillow with breathing holes just for that reason. It is true that society in general was very oppressive, but that had very little to do with Mary being stupid.

I think society places a huge role in Bigger’s murder of Mary. Bigger has this reoccurring fear of white people and how much they dominate society. He knows the potential consequences that a black man can endure because of what society has designated in his mind. When Bigger brings Mary up to her room, he is fearful of getting caught by Mr. and Mrs. Dalton due to what society has conflicted between a black man and a white woman. His thoughts and emotions spiral out of control and Bigger takes advantage of Mary only to find out that Mrs. Dalton is entering the room. Bigger’s fear makes him lash out in two ways; sexually and violently which are the exact two things that Bigger resorts to in this situation. Although Mrs. Dalton is blind, Bigger puts a pillow up to Mary’s face to avoid her from speaking and eventually ends up killing her. Although society may have not been responsible for the actions he took later on with Mary’s body, the pressure to dispose of the body is all due to the effects society has put in his mind and he is fearful of getting caught because he knows he will be a dead man.

I don't think society was responsible at all for what happened at the end of book one. First of all, arguable, Bigger accidentally killed Mary. Secondly, if he did kill her on purpose, it's his own fault. Nobody makes you kill somebody else, you're always in control of your own actions, there's no excuses for killing somebody.

I think Society is responsible for Bigger's accidental murder of Mary. Bigger in great fear put a pillow over Mary's face to keep her quiet so Mrs. Dalton did not hear them. It led to her death. Bigger was afraid because he knows the severe consequences that a black man suffers. Society installed that fear in him and that led to him trying to silence Mary so he was not caught. In result society was at least partially responsible for Bigger killing Mary. Bigger made a mistake while in fear of punishment because of society's negativity on blacks.

- Jeff Semenetz

Society does have a deep impact on Bigger. That deep impact has such an effect on him, that he loses control of his own thinking. Although, it is Bigger's own fault that he allows his society to control him in everything he does. So, both go hand in hand in a vicious cycle as one feeds into the other. As Bigger is more effected, greater fear is generated, which is the source of all of his problems and volatile reactions. For example, Bigger feels he needs a knife and gun when he leaves to meet with the Dalton's. That is him allowing his great fear of the white society to affect him, and therefore setting himself up for a situation where he is putting his job and the people around him in danger. In the presence of Mary and Jan, his fear and the differences put between black and white society spiral out of control. Both Mary and Jan, treat Bigger as a fun spectacle or one of "them". Their eagerness to be "friends" with Bigger becomes so overwhelming to him that it generates nothing but fear and confusion. This is because what society had taught him and what he was experiencing was at such a clash. His night out with them hits a climax as he is carrying Mary upstairs. He is so afraid and uncomfortable at this point. Society has told him that it is not right to be this close to a white girl. He does not want the Daltons to catch him taking Mary upstairs. He does not want to be another seen as the black man proving that he does not deserve to be anywhere near a white community. Then, Bigger allows all of these ideas generated from society to affect him in the worste way possible. Just like in the past, his fear makes him react in two ways; sexually and violently. He takes advantage of Mary and at the sight of Mrs. Dalton acts violently and kills her to force her to be quiet. The tragic ending was a breaking point of a society's affect on Bigger and Bigger allowing the corrupt society to make his volatile decisions for him.

-liz kleisner

Native Son Book 1 Response

In my opinion, society was partly responsible for Bigger's actions. Bigger's initial fear of being caught in a white women's room at night was because of society's conditions. The fact taht Book 1 entitled "Fear" makes sense, because it was the major driving force behind Bigger's actions throughout the section. If it wasn't for the heated racial problems existing during this time period, Mary would of probably lived; Bigger wouldn't of have been so afraid to of been caught. Instead, he probably would of tried to help her. Although Mary's death was society's fault, Bigger's later actions were not. After he murdered Mary he goes through an elaborate plan in his head about how he will blame Jan. Instead of taking responsibility for his actions, Bigger is a coward and thinks of several ways in which he can deflect responsibility onto someone who doesn't deserve it. One could also argue, however, that society is responsible for this because society created the climate where the hatred of communism was bred.

-Cooper

I don't believe that society should be blamed for Bigger's take on the world or his actions. Even though Bigger was raised in a time in our world where blacks don't receive the same treatment as whites, society doesn't ultimately affect your decisions that you make. A society is just a figure that changes in everyone's mind, and not everyone will have the same take on what a socitey should be. While Bigger has grown up to treat whites differently and to some extent be afraid of them, it still doesn't allow the action to kill an innocent person in fear. Mary's death was a mistake, on her and Bigger's part, but that doesn't mean that Bigger's take on whites made him kill, he was just fearful of losing his job. When it comes down to the aspect of fear for Bigger, i believe if Mary was black or white, and his future was at risk, he would commit the murder; whether she was white or not just to save his own self.

I don't think that society had a very big, if any impact on mary's murder. As we've seen before, Bigger is just a violent person who acts without thinking. He's paranoid and freaks out when put under any sort of stress. He knew that Mrs.Dalton was blind and he could have easily slipped by her. Instead, he saw that mary was making a little noise and blew it out of proportions and put a pillow over her face. Since he was under stress, he was not thinking, which is the basis to most of his problems. And as to the events leading up to mary's murder, anyone of any race could have decided not to take her to the university and instead to go out and get drunk, he did that because he worked for her and she told him to. I think the only ways society way culpable was that they frown upon murder, thus causing Bigger to get rid of the body

I would say society is only 50% culpable for what happens at the end of Book 1. This is because Bigger is fully capable of making his own decisions and defining his own beliefs. He did not, because he is black, have to believe that Jan and Mary were making fun of him because of the color of his skin. No one has forced him to believe that, which is why it's not society's fault; however, this can be blamed on society because of the fact that it would be the common norm for whites to make a black ashamed because of his skin. Bigger did not have to go along with Mary and Jan's plans of sitting in the backseat getting drunk while he drove around, Bigger could have turned around and told Mrs. Dalton. He may have been fearful that Mary would then hate him, but I'm sure Mrs. Dalton would have respected him more... if she believed Bigger's story over Mary's. Society is, again, only 50% responsible for this action because a white person would believe another White's story over any black man, except we know the Dalton's to be different, so maybe not. The alcohol was apparent and Mrs. Dalton could smell it on Mary, therefore if Mary had made some remark about Bigger being in the room, Mrs. Dalton could have easily perceived it to be drunken murmuring that meant nothing. To blame it all on society wouldn't be fair because Bigger is his own person, he does not have to follow society's rules.

Society is like 85% to blame for what Bigger does at the end of book I because if he wasn`t a black man, then he wouldn`t have felt so uncomfortable around Mary and forced to go along with what she and Jan were doing that night, resulting in both of them being a little drunk. Although any boy should be nervous to be caught in a girls bedroom at night, the consequences for Bigger would have been extremely bad because he does not belong there and he had been doing stuff with Mary. But the death of Mary is completely Biggers fault, I know he didn`t mean to kill her, he was just afraid of being caught in the situation, but Bigger could`ve just left Mary in her bed, and led everyone to believe that she had died of alcohol poisoning. Instead he cuts off her head and throws her body into the furnace and comes up with a story that he had left Jan and Mary alone and he went of to bed. Once Bigger began thinking of what to do with Mary`s body and a story was created, it became his fault.

It is my belief that Bigger Thomas would not have felt threatened by the presence of Mrs. Dalton, and therefore led to smother her daughter for securities sake, had society not forced unwritten rules of oppression upon him. Bigger's actions were out of fear for his own life, not of malicious intent, with a premeditated plan to kill Mary Dalton. Society had taught Bigger to place white people above himself, by using back doors, words such as Mam and Sir, and living in dilapidated neighborhoods infested with rats. Bigger was expected to help Mary hide her drunken state from her mother, because he was the black employee, and she, the rich white employer. When it became clear that Mary could not navigate the route to her bedroom alone, it fell under Bigger's responsibility to assist her. But the nature of society can be paradoxal, and Bigger was trapped, forced to help Mary, but quite possibly at the risk of his own future. Had society allowed a margin for error, and the acceptance that at times, a black man might need to be alone in a room with a white woman, I belive Mary would have been saved, and Bigger could have also escaped the situation unharmed.
-Tarryn

I think society is almost 100% responsible for what happened in book one. Bigger was constantly worrying about what white people thought about him and was constantly living with worry. In the beginning of book one, Bigger talked about wanting to fly and airplane, but he said it would be impossible because of the color of his skin. At the end of book one, Bigger was afraid of what would happen if Mrs. Dalton knew that he was in Mary's room alone. If Bigger was a white man he wouldn't have to worry about not being able to fly a plane, or getting caught in Mary's room. Society is making Bigger act in ways that he doesn't want to act. If society wasn't responsible for Biggers actions, he wouldn't have had to suffocate Mary to hid his secret.
-Ali Moravsky

Society is culpable for the majority of what happened at the end of book one. Throughout the entire first book, it is obvious that Bigger constantly feels uncomfortable around white people. If Bigger was a white man himself, this would have never happened and he wouldn't have so much fear in every move he makes. The reason that he killed Mary was because he was scared he was going to lose his job and give off the wrong impression. If Bigger was white and didn't have that pressure from society, he would have been able to deal with the situation in a better way. I do believe that when Bigger proceeds to destroy Mary's body after she died is completely Bigger's fault. His actions were severe and unnatural and Bigger had no reason to dispose her body in those extreme ways.
-Linnea

Society is definitely culpable for the murder of Mary Dalton. In the very beginning of Book One, Bigger talks about all the privalleges that whites have above blacks, and his desire to fly airplanes. Mary Dalton intimidates Bigger because he knows from the beginning that she will get him into trouble. She deliberately takes advantage of him by going against her fathers will and taking her to see her Communist boyfriend, instead of school. She knows that Bigger can't say no to a rich, white girl and is completely aware that she can get away with saying or asking anything. Does she care that Bigger could get in trouble for being seen in a car inbetween two whites? Not at all. Society doesn't want Bigger to be in that situation, or for him to be in Mary's bedroom. By placing the pillow over Mary's mouth to keep her from making any noise, Bigger is protecting himself. Bigger knows that his actions are bad, but if he was able to say no the white people the situation he is in would never have occurred. Society causes all the rage that Bigger has inside of him, which leads to the actions he takes.
- Jackie Krukowski

I believe that society shouldn't receive the blame for Bigger's actions. Even though Bigger has grown up in a world where blacks and whites are separated, society doesn't govern the lives of its inhabitants. To me, "society" is a man-made perception, for which it can alter peoples minds and motives. And while the the dominance of white culture may have made Bigger fearful and angry, it didn't force him to kill. When Bigger murdered Mary, he wasn't acting out of rage or against oppression. Mary's death was an accident, made by a frightened man who's only thought, at the time, was for the safety and security of his job. In that moment, when Bigger realized what he had done, he did not see Mary has a white women, he saw her as a person. In the end, society does control the outcome of the situation (based off prejudice), but Bigger's actions are solely responsible to himself.
-Tyler Palmese

To blame a murder entirely on society is ridiculous. Bigger is a man who can make conscious decisions just like anyone else, and committing murder is an act no one else can be blamed for. I do believe society had an impact on Bigger and molded his mindset which led him to that place. Bigger is a black man facing oppression in a white society, which meant whatever wrong action he might have done would lead to consequences far more severe than any white man would receive. In no way was society responsible for Bigger being in Mary's bed that night, but when Mrs. Dalton entered the room, Bigger knew that if he was caught, being a black man suspiciously in a white woman's bed, he would face enormous consequences, possibly even death. This is why Bigger decided he could not be discovered, and covered Mary's face with the pillow, ultimately leading to her death. Although this was in a moment of panic, this was something Bigger decided to do, not society. I do not think society was responsible for Bigger's actions, but I do think society paved the path Bigger traveled to get to that place.

-Meghan White

I think society is nearly completely responsible for the death of Mary Dalton

I think society is nearly completely responsible for the death of Mary Dalton by the end of Book One. The society Bigger is put in, is the kind that all blacks must treat whites superior. In the beginning of the book, Bigger is explaining white priveledge and how much he desires to do the things whites can do, such as fly airplanes. Having little education and little everything, Bigger feels pressured to act tough and fearless. Although, Mary Dalton is putting his job in jeopardy which makes Bigger hate her. She is taking advantange of him by having him bring her somewhere other than school and bringing her to her communist boyfriend, whom her father hates. Mary is doing everything possible to trigger Biggers hate. She knows Bigger wont say no, because she suspects him as a minority although she is to "nice" to admit it. Her annoying questions lead to Biggers aggression. Bigger is thinking about society knowing its not correct to be inbetween two whites, or be in a bedroom with a white woman. When he places the pillow over her mouth, he does it in societys favor; he doesn't want anyone to get the wrong impression. Throwing Mary in the furnace is influenced by societys "right" and "wrong." Throughout the book, Bigger knew his instincts were bad but if he was able to say no to the whites and there were equality among the society, this tragedy would have never occured
-Claudia

Society is almost completely culpable for the murder of Mary Dalton. Within the first twenty pages of the text Bigger talks about his want to fly an airplane, but realizes he cannot because white people will not let him. Richard Wright makes it very clear that Bigger is a poor, barely educated black person during the Great Depression. His opportunities are basically non-existent and his ability to combat the opression put on him by white people is non-existent. Mary Dalton intimidates him because he realizes she is a wild, white girl, and that she'll get him into trouble. When Mary tells Bigger to look her in the eye and shake hands with Jan, she is completely oblivious to the needs of Bigger and the pressures the black community will hang over him if he makes friends with the white people. This intimidation and hate would be enough to scare anyone, but the fact the Bigger is black and Mary is white makes it worse than fear, it makes it deadly. Society caused all of this rage and curiosity. I strongly believe that if Bigger were born a white boy none of this would have ever happened.

-Jamie Davenport

I think that society is responcible for a good part of what happens at the end of Book 1. Bigger feels extreamly uncomfortable hanging out with white Jan and Mary because he knows that he could be pulled over and beaten to a pulp at any given moment. When he drives home with Mary he has no idea what to do with her because she is so drunk she's gone. He decides to help her get up to her room even though he knows that society won't allow him to even touch a white woman, much less drag her to her bedroom. He gets lost in the moment and almost takes advantage of Mary when Mrs. Dalton comes in to check on her. Bigger stuffs the pillow in her face to make sure she is quiet, the fact that he is there is Bigger's fault, but society would probably kill him if he was caught and this is what makes him react in this way. His reaction may not have been as extreame if he wasn't afraid of being killed as a result. When he was thinking of ways to get rid of her body it was a combination of his and society's fault. Once again he would have been killed if found out, but if he was white than he probably would have faced prison instead. When humans, or any animals, are threatened with death they tend to go to more extreames than they would if they were threatened with life confinement. The burning and decapitation of the body was Bigger's responce, it wasn't society's fault. he could have done something a little less morbid, not that disposing of a corpse is a daily chore.

Bigger vs. Society

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I believe that society is only 60-65% culpable for the actions of Bigger Thomas. With the way blacks were treated in his time period there is no reason society can't be blamed. With the conditions and standards placed on Bigger, it was only a matter of time before he snapped, mentally, or physically (Bigger showed both categories). Blacks are treated unfairly, and these pressures are more than enough to drive anybody to the brink of insanity. Yet it is difficult to completely place the blame on society. There are millions of black Americans living under the exact same hostile conditions as Bigger, and others possess the self-control to keep their rage in check. We have already established at the very beginning of the book that Bigger is someone quick to anger and one who enjoys being in control and having power. He makes it very difficult to place all of the blame on society.

Society is culpable for what happened at the end of Book One.

I believe that society is culpable for what happened at the end of Book One: Fear. In the up and coming American society that this plot takes place blacks are considered the minority whilst whites are dominate. Society has revolved around the idea that blacks need to obey whites. Communists such as Jan and members of wealthy families such as Mary hold responsibility for the death of Mary. Mary and Jan have a concrete mindset that by asking Bigger to keep their secrets, take them to a black restaurant, and address them by their first name defines the idea of “friendship”. However, in reality these “majorities” are trying to be the idealistic human; to not differentiate one based on their race… this is where the downfall occurs. These “majorities” refer to blacks as “your people” this shows no individuality, Jan and Mary are showing no recognition for what Bigger wants. They put him in dangerous situations: they have him sitting in between two white people, they go against Mr.Dalton, and eventually they leave him to deal with the daughter of his employer, Mary in a drunken state. The way Jan and Mary act however is not by choice, but how they were taught. Bigger feels that he cannot defy what the whites lead him in to doing. If society had not built up the idea that blacks were a minority and had to obey to the whites wishes then Bigger would not have been afraid to go against Mary’s wishes. He would have gone with his conscience and done what he believed was right. All along Bigger’s instincts knew what was happening was bad, if he was considered equal in society and did not fear the consequences of telling a white person no, evidently what had happened at the end of Book One would have been avoided.

I think society is partially culpable for Bigger murdering Mary. Bigger was oppressed by society because of the color of his skin, which caused him to be a violent person. Because of this, I know that if Bigger was a white man, or if he was treated the same as a white man, he would not have reacted the way he did. He knew that if he was caught with Mary as a black man, the consequences would have been a lot worse than if he was caught with her as a white man. Bigger was trying to protect himself from society, which doesn't justify what he did, but Mary's murder was entirely his fault.

Society deserves no blame for Bigger's murder of Mary. Yes, white society had pushed Bigger towards violent tendencies with its relentless racism, but does that mean Bigger is not responsible for his actions? He did not murder Mary out of the rage or uncontrollable aggression that he had been driven towards by society, but rather it was an unintended mistake he made out of fear of loosing his job. Had he lived in a world free of racism, wouldn't he have made the same mistake? Although it was unintended, and he did not intentionally kill Mary, that doesn't mean he does not deserve punishment for his actions. Bigger should receive the entire blame, because there were no other parties in what seems to be a tragic case of manslaughter. Society did not push Bigger to kill, and we cannot shift blame away from him solely based on the fact that he was a black man living in a society where blacks were trapped beneath their white counterparts.

Society is about 70% responsible for what happened at the end of book one, or at least that is what I think. I say that because bigger thinks it himself. While he is in Mary's room, and trying to 'quiet' her, he is thinking of how bad it is for a man like him to be in the room of, and in this case bed of, a white woman. Before Bigger went in the house with Mary and he picked up her hat, the book stated his thoughts: ' As he picked it up he wondered what a white man would think seeing him here with her like this. Suppose old man Dalton saw him now?'. That passage shows just how much pressure was on Bigger at the time, built up through a lifetime of discrimination and being strongly stereotyped. Another passage reads, 'she was dead; she was white; she was a woman; he had killed her; he was black; he might be caught; he did not want to be caught; if he were they would kill him.' This also points to society's pressures, especially towards blacks. It was still partially Bigger's fault though, as she was killed by him, and they were both drunk(that was his choice to get drunk, but he was slightly pressured by Jan and Mary).