Bigger Thomas feels like he is controlled by a stereotype that he cannot escape. Have you ever felt the same? Being African-American back in the 1960's brought that feeling upon everyone who did not feel they could pass the paper bag test. He saw himself as inadequate and unimportant. In the eyes of white people, he felt he was nothing.
Down in Chicago where Bigger lived, I feel that there was racial tension, but not as much as he and his friends made it out to be. Bigger commited an unnecessary crime. The ultimate crime. He killed a white woman. How do you think the general reaction would to this? Bigger felt empowered for doing this deed, but he also felt no protection from what was to come of this murder.
Upon reaching the finish of this novel, I am realizing that this racial tension was a thing that could easily have been resisted. What Bigger felt the world thought about him at the beginning of the novel, they finally truly thought about him at the end of it. Bigger made the world see him how he saw himself. Nothing but a no-good piece of black trash. Excuse my french but that is how he was portrayed when he found himself on the run from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Ironic to what I said earlier, now he was somebody. Hey, maybe that is why he felt his empowerment.
-Jonathan Solomon
This book seems pretty deep in the fact that there are so many things that have been committed and on top of that the racial pressures placed on people. Good post!
ReplyDelete-Kyle Fischer
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Kyle this book does seem deep on multiple levels. I've been reading the Help and there is a similar theme of wanting to break out of racial stereotypes. I think the difference is that the Help chose action through words and humor rather than violence. The characters in the Help were surrounded by violent actions to enforce segregation but the characters rose above it and I think were more successful in being seen as somebody, an individual, than Bigger was.
ReplyDelete-Aimee E.
Thanks Kyle. Aimee I agree, with the wanting to break out of racial stereotypes. It seems that back then it was the default mind set for African Americans. The contrast between the two novels is, it seemed like Bigger did not want to break out of the stereotype. He just wanted to live up to it.
Delete-Jonathan S.
Also, the Help and Native Son are similar in the sense that the characters both rose up to be somebody, but Bigger Thomas made a name for himself in a different way. Maybe that was all he wanted. To be known.
ReplyDelete-Jonathan S
Native Son is a book that I have been wanting to read and I enjoyed reading your post about it. If Bigger took his mom's advice to stay out of trouble, do you think that he would've achieved his dreams and have the life that he was looking for?
ReplyDelete-Jamie N
I don't know if Bigger would have achieved his dreams; but I know that going to jail does not help him get any closer to his dreams than listening to his mom would. I think that if he was just able to control his mind when things went wrong, he could have worked his wayup the social ladder until he was at the top.
Delete-Jonathan S.
Jonathan!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about how this crime could have empowered him, especially during this time period.. but if you think about it.. if African Americans had been treated fairly, they would not have to search for power through other ways. In a sense its like karma is getting back at the white people.
Miriam Rizk(:
That;s how I was thinking! But in another way it's kind of like they manipulated Bigger's mind to fall right into their little trap. It's almost like a circle of society. You know what I mean?
Delete-Jonathan S.
Its interesting to see how Thomas is portrayed and thus his actions are fueled. I haven't read this book yet but am very interested in the way it shows him. It seems to me as if he just gives up and goes along with his stereotype and enjoys himself while doing it.
ReplyDeleteDebby T
The book seems to be very empowering on many levels. It's a shame to see that Bigger had to make himself noticed in a negative way, but in the end I guess he received what he had initially wanted, which was acknowledgement by the people in some way. Great analysis!
ReplyDelete-Secada C.