Native Sun: Society's Responsibility

Part I of Essay
In the novel, Native Son, author Richard Wright presents a compelling case that society is responsible for creating Bigger Thomas and people like Bigger. Bigger is a tragic figure, as he represents the African American experience of oppression in America. Wright states in ....

Part II of Essay
.... The unfocused, yet detailed, fear that the white world has influenced Bigger’s actions takes over when he is in Mary's room and in danger of being discovered by Mrs. Dalton. This internalized social oppression literally forces his hand when he holds the pillow over Mary's face, suffocating the drunken Mary. Bigger knew that no white person would believe he was not trying to rape Mary. As Bigger tells Max, "They believe that. ...when folks say things like that about you, you whipped before you born." Bigger's sense of lifelong hopelessness beco ....