Wright and Bigger


            It’s interesting that Wright chose to write his Native Son in the third person style. The interpretation that we get is one that comes from Wright himself, meaning that no one really knows what drives Bigger’s actions. This lack of insight makes the relationship with Wright and Bigger that much more important. In class, Mr. Mitchell asked what we thought of Wright’s relationship with Bigger Thomas. While many good comments were made, my takeaway is that Bigger is Wright’s expression of who he could’ve been, had his life given him the same obstacles. This touches on another topic from our class discussion which deals with the idea of Naturalism. The idea of naturalism implies that each person isn’t really their own person rather a person that reacts to their environment around them.
Bigger is a character that embodies a thoughtless person. Not entirely thoughtless of course, he s till feels uncomfortable, powerful, and other emotions, but Bigger lacks the self-reflection that the reader expects when dealing with the racial dynamics presented throughout the book. It’s easy for someone to take Bigger's actions and feel smug as in “I would never do such a thing.” But when it comes to Bigger’s actions it isn’t about morals or “right” behavior. Most of his actions come from a place of a survival. He is living from moment to moment, which Richard Wright illustrates clearly in Book 1. We the readers wake up with Bigger, walk with Bigger, and even think for Bigger.
            The book makes me want to yell at Bigger for his crimes, but more than that tear down the system for making him who he is. I want them to see that Bigger acts out of fear. Then I think again and realize I don’t really know Bigger's intentions.

Comments

  1. Neha AluruAugust 31, 2019 at 7:27 PM

    I completely agree that Bigger was a victim of his surroundings. There were definitely moments where I had sympathy for what he was experiencing, especially when they were consequences of actions that were driven by what he was taught growing up. I was horrified while reading the gory details of how Bigger killed Mary and what happened before and after the act but I also felt that it wasn't entirely his fault because Bigger acted in the moment the only way he knew how to. If Bigger was raised differently in a different environment, I don't think he would have the made the same choices regarding Mary.

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  2. DanbiSeptember 2, 2019 at 2:16 PM

    I think your note about how Wright writes Bigger as a character that he (Wright) could have been is really interesting and gives a deeper meaning to Bigger. Honestly, I kind of liked that the book was written in third person because it left more up to the reader's interpretation. I remember there was a note in "How Bigger Was Born", where Wright mentioned that some things that the reader may have found symbolic or profound were total accidents by him and I actually really enjoy that aspect because it makes the reader so much more involved in the story.

    I also found myself totally thinking, "I would never do such a thing" while reading about Bigger's grotesque actions but you're totally right in saying the reader can't really fully judge Bigger without taking his environment and surroundings into account. You mentioned that Bigger lacked self reflection but personally, I think that Max's whole character and the thinking that he led Bigger to served as the self-reflection and change the reader looks for.

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  3. JoshuaSeptember 3, 2019 at 8:16 PM

    I think Wright purposefully makes it hard to root for Bigger at times, and depicts him as a very flawed character that we're not supposed to have a clear idea on how to view. I agree that Bigger is shown to be a product of his environment, so it's hard to gauge how much blame we're "allowed" to place on him. It's easy for us to judge him as we're reading his story, completely detached from everything he's going through and feeling. None of the murders would have happened if Bigger didn't grow up and live in such a racist environment, but does that really excuse his actions?

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  4. Mayahuel MalikSeptember 14, 2019 at 7:35 PM

    these last lines of your post really stuck out to me because I completely agree with what you are saying. It feels to me that throughout the book Wright is asking his readers to take a deeper look at what has created Bigger. Like you point out, Bigger is hard to root, and he is not stemming from one thing. Wright has purposely created a character influenced by many different factors to call attention to the environment around him. I feel that Wright has purposely created Bigger as this character everyone wants to hate and yell at, to get them to hate and yell at what made him so as well. It feels to me that Wright is asking his readers, if you hate Bigger so much, why not stop society from making more Bigger's? because Bigger is so heavily influenced by the environment he is in, there is an argument that can be made for him being born out of society; not as a generalization of black men, but of the worst parts of people all in one. It is as if Wright has said, if I take these awful characteristics society creates in people, and make one guy everyone hates, they may see that it is the institution they hate more than the guy himself. Maybe, they too will want to "tear down the system for making him who he is" and I see that as Wrights 'call to action'

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  5. Anthony CDecember 20, 2019 at 4:25 PM

    One other part of Bigger is the fact that he is a relatively undeveloped character. He doesn't undergo any major mental shifts throughout the novel, and his character is static. This is another way Wright is saying Bigger is stunted by his environment. The life he lives hasn't allowed him to embrace himself and discover who it is he wants to be. Also, the ambiguity around his character could be a way to make him more general so it's understood that his circumstances could apply to a wide variety of people.

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