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Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape. Native Son tells the story of this young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a young white woman in a brief moment of panic. Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Wright's powerful novel is an unsparing reflection on the poverty and feelings of hopelessness experienced by people in inner cities across the country and of what it means to be black in America.
Wright's classic 1940 novel about a young African-American man who murders a white woman in 1930s Chicago is a truly remarkable literary accomplishment. Peter Francis James has never been better, bringing the character of Bigger Thomas to life in a profound and moving performance that is as touching as it is truthful. James's powerful baritone demands to be heard, captivating listeners with Wright's realistic portrayal of life in the inner city, capturing the mood of each and every scene. With moderate yet believable variations in tone and dialect for each of the characters, James ignites the collective imagination of his audience. Wright's novel is real, raw and brutally honest and James's reading follows suit. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Author biography courtesy of HarperCollins.
Native Son
Chapter One
Book One: Fear
Brrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinng!
An alarm clock clanged in the dark and silent room. A bed spring creaked. A woman's voice sang out impatiently:
"Bigger, shut that thing off!"
A surly grunt sounded above the tinny ring of metal. Naked feet swished dryly across the planks in the wooden floor and the clang ceased abruptly.
"Turn on the light, Bigger."
"Awright," came a sleepy mumble.
Light flooded the room and revealed a black boy standing in a narrow space between two iron beds, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. From a bed to his right the woman spoke again:
"Buddy, get up from there! I got a big washing on my hands today and I want you-all out of here."
Another black boy rolled from bed and stood up. The woman also rose and stood in her nightgown.
"Turn your heads so I can dress," she said.
The two boys averted their eyes and gazed into a far comer of the room. The woman rushed out, of her nightgown and put on a pair of step-ins. She turned to the bed from which she had risen and called:
"Vera! Get up from there!"
"What time is it, Ma?" asked a muffled, adolescent voice from beneath a quilt.
"Get up from there, I say!"
"O.K., Ma."
A brown-skinned girl in a cotton gown got up and stretched her arms above her head and yawned. Sleepily, she sat on a chair and fumbled with her stockings. The two boys kept their faces averted while their mother and sister put on enough clothes to keep them from feeling ashamed; and the mother and sister did the same while the boysdressed. Abruptly, they all paused, holding their clothes in their hands, their attention caught by a light tapping in the thinly plastered walls of the room. They forgot their conspiracy against shame and their eyes strayed apprehensively over the floor.
"There he is again, Bigger!" the woman screamed, and the tiny, one-room apartment galvanized into violent action. A chair toppled as the woman, half-dressed and in her stocking feet, scrambled breathlessly upon the bed. Her two sons, barefoot, stood tense and motionless, their eyes searching anxiously under the bed and chairs. The girl ran into a corner, half-stooped and gathered the hem of her slip into both of her hands and held it tightly over her knees.
"Oh! Oh! " she waited.
"There he goes!"
The woman pointed a shaking finger. Her eyes were round with fascinated horror.
"Where?"
"I don't see 'im!"
"Bigger, he's behind the trunk!" the girl whimpered.
"Vera!" the woman screamed. "Get up here on the bed! Don't let that thing bite you!"
Frantically, Vera climbed upon the bed and the woman caught hold of her. With their arms entwined about each other, the black mother and the brown daughter gazed open-mouthed at the trunk in the corner.
Bigger looked round the room wildly, then darted to a curtain and swept it aside and grabbed two heavy iron skillets from a wall above a gas stove. He whirled and called softly to his brother, his eyes glued to the trunk.
"Buddy!"
"Yeah?"
"Here; take this skillet."
"O.K."
"Now, get over by the door!"
"O.K."
Buddy crouched by the door and held the iron skillet by its handle, his arm flexed and poised. Save for the quick, deep breathing of the four people, the room was quiet. Bigger crept on tiptoe toward the trunk with the skillet clutched stiffly in his hand, his eyes dancing and watching every inch of the wooden floor in front of him. He paused and, without moving an eye or muscle, called:
"Buddy!"
"Hunh?"
"Put that box in front of the hole so he can't get out!"
"O.K."
Buddy ran to a wooden box and shoved it quickly in front of a gaping hole in the molding and then backed again to the door, holding the skillet ready. Bigger eased to the trunk and peered behind it cautiously. He saw nothing. Carefully, he stuck out his bare foot and pushed the trunk a few inches.
"There he is!" the mother screamed again.
A huge black rat squealed and leaped at Bigger's trouser-leg and snagged it in his teeth, hanging on.
"Goddamn!" Bigger whispered fiercely, whirling and kicking out his leg with all the strength of his body. The force of his movement shook the rat loose and it sailed through the air and struck a wall. Instantly, it rolled over and leaped again. Bigger dodged and the rat landed against a table leg. With clenched teeth, Bigger held the skillet; he was afraid to hurl it, fearing that he might miss. The rat squeaked and turned and ran in a narrow circle, looking for a place to hide; it leaped again past Bigger and scurried on dry rasping feet to one side of the box and then to the other, searching for the hole. Then it turned and reared upon its hind legs.
"Hit 'im, Bigger!" Buddy shouted.
"Kill 'im! " the woman screamed.
The rat's belly pulsed with fear. Bigger advanced a step and the rat emitted a long thin song of defiance, its black beady eyes glittering, its tiny forefeet pawing the air restlessly. Bigger swung the skillet; it skidded over the floor, missing the rat, and clattered to a stop against a wall.
"Goddamn!"
The rat leaped. Bigger sprang to one side. The rat stopped under a chair and let out a furious screak. Bigger moved slowly backward toward the door.
"Gimme that skillet, Buddy," he asked quietly, not taking his eyes from the rat.
Buddy extended his hand. Bigger caught the skillet and lifted it high in the air. The rat scuttled across the floor and stopped again at the box and searched quickly for the hole; then it reared once more and bared long yellow fangs, piping shrilly, belly quivering.
Bigger aimed and let the skillet fly with a heavy grunt. There was a shattering of wood as the box caved in. The woman screamed and hid her face in her hands. Bigger tiptoed forward and peered.
"I got 'im," he muttered, his clenched teeth bared in a smile. "By God, I got 'im. "
He kicked the splintered box out of the way and the flat black body of the rat lay exposed, its two long yellow tusks showing distinctly. Bigger took a shoe and pounded the rat's head, crushing it, cursing hysterically:
"You sonofabitch!"
Native Son. Copyright (c) by Richard Wright . Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.Brrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinng!
An alarm clock clanged in the dark and silent room. A bed spring creaked. A woman's voice sang out impatiently:
"Bigger, shut that thing off!"
A surly grunt sounded above the tinny ring of metal. Naked feet swished dryly across the planks in the wooden floor and the clang ceased abruptly.
"Turn on the light, Bigger."
"Awright," came a sleepy mumble.
Light flooded the room and revealed a black boy standing in a narrow space between two iron beds, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. From a bed to his right the woman spoke again:
"Buddy, get up from there! I got a big washing on my hands today and I want you-all out of here."
Another black boy rolled from bed and stood up. The woman also rose and stood in her nightgown.
"Turn your heads so I can dress," she said.
The two boys averted their eyes and gazed into a far comer of the room. The woman rushed out, of her nightgown and put on a pair of step-ins. She turned to the bed from which she had risen and called:
"Vera! Get up from there!"
"What time is it, Ma?" asked a muffled, adolescent voice from beneath a quilt.
"Get up from there, I say!"
"O.K., Ma."
A brown-skinned girl in a cotton gown got up and stretched her arms above her head and yawned. Sleepily, she sat on a chair and fumbled with her stockings. The two boys kept their faces averted while their mother and sister put on enough clothes to keep them from feeling ashamed; and the mother and sister did the same while the boys dressed. Abruptly, they all paused, holding their clothes in their hands, their attention caught by a light tapping in the thinly plastered walls of the room. They forgot their conspiracy against shame and their eyes strayed apprehensively over the floor.
"There he is again, Bigger!" the woman screamed, and the tiny, one-room apartment galvanized into violent action. A chair toppled as the woman, half-dressed and in her stocking feet, scrambled breathlessly upon the bed. Her two sons, barefoot, stood tense and motionless, their eyes searching anxiously under the bed and chairs. The girl ran into a corner, half-stooped and gathered the hem of her slip into both of her hands and held it tightly over her knees.
"Oh! Oh! " she waited.
"There he goes!"
The woman pointed a shaking finger. Her eyes were round with fascinated horror.
"Where?"
"I don't see 'im!"
"Bigger, he's behind the trunk!" the girl whimpered.
"Vera!" the woman screamed. "Get up here on the bed! Don't let that thing bite you!"
Frantically, Vera climbed upon the bed and the woman caught hold of her. With their arms entwined about each other, the black mother and the brown daughter gazed open-mouthed at the trunk in the corner.
Bigger looked round the room wildly, then darted to a curtain and swept it aside and grabbed two heavy iron skillets from a wall above a gas stove. He whirled and called softly to his brother, his eyes glued to the trunk.
"Buddy!"
"Yeah?"
"Here; take this skillet."
"O.K."
"Now, get over by the door!"
"O.K."
Buddy crouched by the door and held the iron skillet by its handle, his arm flexed and poised. Save for the quick, deep breathing of the four people, the room was quiet. Bigger crept on tiptoe toward the trunk with the skillet clutched stiffly in his hand, his eyes dancing and watching every inch of the wooden floor in front of him. He paused and, without moving an eye or muscle, called:
"Buddy!"
"Hunh?"
"Put that box in front of the hole so he can't get out!"
"O.K."
Buddy ran to a wooden box and shoved it quickly in front of a gaping hole in the molding and then backed again to the door, holding the skillet ready. Bigger eased to the trunk and peered behind it cautiously. He saw nothing. Carefully, he stuck out his bare foot and pushed the trunk a few inches.
"There he is!" the mother screamed again.
A huge black rat squealed and leaped at Bigger's trouser-leg and snagged it in his teeth, hangingon.
"Goddamn!" Bigger whispered fiercely, whirling and kicking out his leg with all the strength of his body. The force of his movement shook the rat loose and it sailed through the air and struck a wall. Instantly, it rolled over and leaped again. Bigger dodged and the rat landed against a table leg. With clenched teeth, Bigger held the skillet; he was afraid to hurl it, fearing that he might miss. The rat squeaked and turned and ran in a narrow circle, looking for a place to hide; it leaped again past Bigger and scurried on dry rasping feet to one side of the box and then to the other, searching for the hole. Then it turned and reared upon its hind legs.
"Hit 'im, Bigger!" Buddy shouted.
"Kill 'im! " the woman screamed.
The rat's belly pulsed with fear. Bigger advanced a step and the rat emitted a long thin song of defiance, its black beady eyes glittering, its tiny forefeet pawing the air restlessly. Bigger swung the skillet; it skidded over the floor, missing the rat, and clattered to a stop against a wall.
"Goddamn!"
The rat leaped. Bigger sprang to one side. The rat stopped under a chair and let out a furious screak. Bigger moved slowly backward toward the door.
"Gimme that skillet, Buddy," he asked quietly, not taking his eyes from the rat.
Buddy extended his hand. Bigger caught the skillet and lifted it high in the air. The rat scuttled across the floor and stopped again at the box and searched quickly for the hole; then it reared once more and bared long yellow fangs, piping shrilly, belly quivering.
Bigger aimed and let the skillet fly with a heavy grunt. There was a shattering of wood as the box caved in. The woman screamed and hid her face in her hands. Bigger tiptoed forward and peered.
"I got 'im," he muttered, his clenched teeth bared in a smile. "By God, I got 'im. "
He kicked the splintered box out of the way and the flat black body of the rat lay exposed, its two long yellow tusks showing distinctly. Bigger took a shoe and pounded the rat's head, crushing it, cursing hysterically:
"You sonofabitch!"
Native Son (Abridged). Copyright © by Richard A. Wright. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.The final section of the book recounts Bigger's trial. His lawyer, a Jewish-American Communist named Boris Max, pleads that Bigger is not responsible for his violent actions because social forces drove him to crime, and he urges the judge to spare Bigger the death penalty. The state's prosecutor responds that Bigger is a cold-hearted, depraved criminal and must die as the law requires. The judge rules for the prosecution and sentences Bigger to death. In the final scene, Max attempts to console Bigger, but Bigger rebuffs him. "What I killed for, I am!" Bigger insists, and Max leaves him to his fate.
Discussion Topics2. James Baldwin, an early protege of Wright's, later attacked the older writer for his self-righteousness and reliance on stereotypes, especially in the character of Bigger. In his famous essay "Everybody's Protest Novel," Baldwin compared Bigger to Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom and dismissed Native Son as "protest" fiction with a naked and simplistic political agenda. Do you agree?
3. When Bigger stands confronted with his family in jail, he thinks to himself that they ought to be glad that he was a murderer: "Had he not taken fully upon himself the crime of being black?" Talk about Bigger as a victim and sacrificial figure. If Wright wanted us to pity Bigger, why did he portray him as so brutal?
4. Bigger repeatedly says to himself that the accidental killing holds "the hidden meaning of his life": "He had murdered and had created a new life for himself. It was something that was all his own, and it was the first time in his life he had anything that others could not take from him." Discuss the disturbing concept of killing as a "supreme and meaningful act." Is this Wright's own view of the killing--or are we meant to see it only as Bigger's internal conclusion?
5. When first confronted with the accusation that he raped Mary, Bigger thinks: "rape was not what one did to women. Rape was what one felt when one's back was against a wall and one had to strike out." Discuss the group's reactions to this controversial passage. Does this redefinition of rape reveal an insensitivity on Wright's part to women and the oppressions that they experience in American society? 6. How dated does this book seem in its depiction of racial hatred and guilt? Have we as a society moved beyond the rage and hostility that Wright depicts between blacks and whites? Or are we still living in a culture that could produce a figure like Bigger Thomas?
About the AuthorDespite his success, Wright continued to feel stifled by racial prejudice. Convinced that he could find greater freedom abroad, Wright moved to Paris in 1947 with his wife, an American woman of Polish-Jewish descent, and their young daughter. He quickly made contact with leading French existentialists and began reading deeply in the works of Sartre, Camus, and Heidegger. In the fiction he composed in France, Wright tried to view racial issues from an existentialist perspective.
When he died suddenly of a heart attack in Paris in 1960, Wright was considered a marginal figure - an expatriate novelist whose works had lost favor with a younger generation of African-American intellectuals. But the emergence of the black power movement in the 1960s sparked a major reassessment of Wright as both an innovative prose stylist and militant social critic. Today Richard Wright is widely recognized as one of the great American writers of the 20th century.
ECooper-Columbus
Posted January 16, 2009
Richard Wright¿s depiction on race relations in the 1940's was parallel to the thinking of most Black and White Americans today. We saw that with the newly elected president. I found this book a much needed read, not to conjure up racial tension but as a reminder of how we, Black and White Americans need to continue to strive for racial equality. He talked about how the price of food is higher in one section than another, how redlining occured than, which is another parallel of today¿s housing market. I, as a teacher, will use this book as a teaching tool to inspire my children to release pinned up anger by talking to an adult or someone they trust; use Bigger's lack of education to inspire them to stay in school. There are so many teaching tools that you can be pulled from this book and used as inspiration. The relevance of this book is still very useful today. It is a great read, I couldn't put it down.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.rapragdoll
Posted January 15, 2009
Native Son was the hardest book to read that I've ever read. It was so detailed about negative emotions and vile acts that I had to stop reading and found it at times hard to go on. I read it of my own free will and don't feel I wasted time but would have enjoyed another book better. It's to negative for me even if the point is very original and dramatic,it's a great debate to a side I do not agree with but see it's points.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Along with Invisible Man, Native Son is another powerful story that has schooled me on what W.E.B. Du Bois might have meant by "double consciouness": African Americans' tendency to see themselves through the eyes of others. Bigger, the main character, judges himself by society's stereotypes, and a profound fear of whites drives his every action (including a heinous crime so vividly described I had to put the book down for awhile). It's mind-boggling and tragic to think how much a person can truly become what society expects and assumes he'll be. Difficult story to swallow; an emotional, memorable read.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I am one to shy away from books about race. A lot of times I find it hard to relate or I find them to be boring or too graphic. I read this book because it was on a list of the 100 best books ever written and it is my goal to read them all to check out the hype. I really did not want to read Native Son.
From the first sentence of the first page I knew this was going to be something special. Wright's writing is captivating and the characters he builds are so real. Even if you cannot relate to this book personally, you will be able to relate to the emotions the main character Bigger Thomas is feeling. It is an amazing thing to be engrossed so deeply into a book as I was with this one. The plot is unique, especially as far as books about race go. Surprisingly this is also a very fast read. For a couple reasons: you cannot put it down and it is written very matter-of-fact.
I can see why kids in high school might not want to read this. It's long and seems out of date. To be honest it might even go over a lot of the heads in a regular English class. I feel like this novel is for anyone though. It's important. This book is on my list of best books ever...which only had 11 books prior. That is a big deal! Read it :)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Replacing a copy misplaced, some time ago. I re-read native son and was again struck by the deft way in which I was driven to care for a character completely lacking in redeeming qualities. The trick, well executed, was in the way Mr. Wright provided an understated context for Bigger Thomas that explained, not excused, his wrongs.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 24, 2008
I read this book for a class I'm taking online. I was so excited to read it, as a fan of other novels on race relations 'To Kill a Mockingbird, etc', but the book was so disturbing and angry it was a difficult read. My professor said that Wright wrote this novel with a grudge on his mind--hatred towards the whites who hated blacks, anger at the Communist party with it's high ideals and little participation in de-segregation, anger at blacks who fell into racist traps and ended up ruining their lives, etc. Basically, while I saw the purpose of this novel, it didn't come far in terms of enjoyment and entertainment.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 29, 2011
This book belongs in everyone's personal library. Although lengthy and at times long-winded, the author's writing was both lyrical and expressive. I found myself fascinated by the main character, as well as those around him. This book would be an ideal choice for a book club selection. I've read other books by Richard Wright and have been pleased with all of them. Highly recommended!
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Posted July 8, 2011
I Also Recommend:
I've never understood how a novel can be described as "beautiful", but now that I have read this book, I can understand what critics mean when they say that a novel is beautiful. This is just one of the few classics recommended to me by my father, and I was hooked to this one. The story revolves around Bigger Thomas, a dirt-poor, 20-year old black man who lives with his family in the South Side of Chicago in the 1930s, a time when America was divided between blacks and whites. He accidentally commits one murder, but I'm not going to tell you who, because then you won't enjoy it, which leads him to commit another, and mayhem ensues. There are so many different angles to look at it from and you enjoy it in every way possible. What I really like, though, about this book is that you can actually feel the way Bigger feels and you can actually connect with him. This book is definitely for ANYONE ages 13 and up. The best choice for book clubs as well. I think I would read stuff by Richard Wright based on my experiences with this one.
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Posted January 21, 2011
I Also Recommend:
This piece is more than great. I think that all aspects of this novel were esquisite: character development, imagery, language and plot. This book is a thriller that keeps you excited throughout the reading. As a bonus, the story stimulates the mind by provoking one's intellect. I absolutely recommend this book!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.grega922
Posted August 21, 2010
I Also Recommend:
I read this book in my Junior year of high school and I couldn't put it down! Although I love reading, I don't particularly prefer reading novels that are nearly 600 pages long! However, this book had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end! The story started off slow, with the first 50 pages of the book detailing the life of the protagonist, Bigger Thomas. However, this part of the book was essential to the overall theme, which is revealed later on. Once he gets to the Dalton's house, the reader is taken on a 200 page thrill ride they will never forget! For the sake of future readers, I'm not going to mention what happens, but I will say that it is truly an eye opening experience - it shows the audience the negative effects of oppression and racism on human psychological well being. There are a few gruesome depictions recorded in this book, so I don't suggest that kids (or anyone else sensitive to gore) read this. But if you can get over the goriness, I promise you will not be disappointed reading this book!
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Posted October 14, 2007
I hated the main charater, but he is not written to be liked, but to show what racisim produces. I felt bad for the mother and what she had to go through dealing with Bigger, and it made me cry. It is a good book that makes you think and the themes really stand out so if you need to write a paper or something, I recommend it. Even if you don't need to write a paper I recommend it. This is a little graphic though and sad, just warning you.
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Posted May 28, 2007
social determinism at its worst- powerful story.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 22, 2006
I thought the Native Son was a great book. It really helped me understand the way white people treated black people in that day in time. Wright does a great job explaining how white people made black people feel.
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Posted October 18, 2006
This book was hard to put down. I absolutely loved it. It was very well written and complex and simple at the same time. Bigger's speech is very slow and simple, but Wright's thoguhts are anything but. After reading this book I was surprised to flip through and discover that not only was this book written during the 30's and the 40's but the author was a black man himself. Too many books are written years after the fact and often from a viewpoint that is imagined rather than experienced. Wright was certainly ahead of his time in the issues he discussed.
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Posted December 8, 2006
Well I enjoyed this book very much. It takes place in the early 1900's which is a big difference in society. Racism was the biggest element portrayed in this book. Bigger Thomas the main character doesn't want to accept the living conditions of his family so he decides to get a job to provide for them. During his life Thomas is treated very unfairly and really is not given a chance in life. This is how life was in this time period. This book is very good and shows how our history has developed over time. I would definitely reccommend reading this book.
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Posted September 20, 2006
Of course after I read this book, I could tell it was on and maybe above my grade level. I enjoyed it, and realized how discriptive it is on most parts. Also, I became confused on how the story moved.It changed very quickly and I had to see re-read what had happened before and think a little bit to understand what was going on. I hope to read more book by this author to see the different styles.
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Posted September 9, 2006
At some points I enjoyed reading this book and at others it was very confusing.The scenes would change dramatically and I wouldn't understand what had gone on before.I don't recall reading any other books by this author but I would like to to see the different styles written.
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Posted October 30, 2006
I absolutly loved this book! This is one of those books you start reading and don't want to put it down to tend to your daily life routines.I feel like the author makes you feel like you are a part of the story. You get an idea of of how African Americans felt back in the early 19th century. I felt like the author keeps the story simple, wants the reader to relate with his the characters and I enjoy that. So maybe you would too.
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Posted May 28, 2006
Iread this book within four days and I am a slow reader. I could not put this bookdown because I always wanted to know what wasgoing to happen next to Bigger.
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Posted March 28, 2006
Native Son is an extraordinary piece of African American literature. Richard Wright goes inside the main character¿s head, Bigger Thomas, and describes every event so well that it is hard to believe that this isn¿t Wright¿s autobiography. He captures the unbelievably crazed and confused mind of Bigger Thomas, a young African American boy living in Chicago, and you travel along with Bigger every which way he goes through-out the novel. Most of the time you will wish you got left behind, or at least some of the details did. But it was completely necessary for Wright to include all the details he did so his readers will get the best picture possible of what it was like to be African American in the 1930¿s. The first book of the novel is titled fear. The title is a perfect description of how Bigger feels about life. He is set up from birth for a life of crime that is uninteresting and scary to him. He is terrified of white people and does not understand them. He sticks to his side of town, the ¿black belt¿, accepting his segregated city, Chicago. Bigger and his friends challenge each other to different acts of crime, pushing each other along to see who will go the furthest. The further you go the better off you are because that proves your ¿man-hood¿ and respect of the group. In knowing this, Bigger never speaks up to tell his dangerous friends that he doesn¿t want to be involved in half the ¿jobs¿ they do. With his mother¿s nagging in his right ear, and his tormenting friends in his left, he breaks free and gets a job as a chaffer for the Dalton¿s, one of the richest white families in the city. They are going to pay him well, twenty dollars a week, to drive all the members in the family to their different destinations. His first night on the job is basically his last. After a series of unfortunate events through out the evening, Bigger ends up in the bedroom of Mary Dalton, the daughter of his employer, at two o¿clock in the morning. Mrs. Dalton, Mary¿s mother, enters the room to check and see if Mary is okay. If Bigger is caught in a white girl¿s room, drunk at two in the mourning, there is no doubt that he would not be in big trouble. Trying to prevent himself from getting fired, he accidentally suffocates Mary, trying to keep her silent, in a moment of total panic. Bigger does not know what to do. He imagines his life if he were to call for help and therefore have to own up to what he had done. There would be no way out and he knows it. His next move is the defining moment of what may or may not ruin his life. Quietly shoving Mary into a trunk, Bigger then decides to dispose of her body in the furnace that he is in charge of keeping up. Terrified of what he has done and what will happen to him because of it, Bigger goes back home for the night to try and get some rest. All the while he has images of his bloody night in the cold winter in the dark city. The next day begins the question of whether or not Bigger is going to survive or if he will get caught and be put to death. Following fear begins the second book, flight. For the next few days, Bigger tells lie after lie trying to save his life. It works for a little while, fooling almost everyone involved in the case. Bigger is doing so good that Mr. Dalton orders the questioning off of him because he is certain that Bigger was not involved in the slightest way. His personality and timid behavior helps him to look innocent. He even writes a ransom letter signed ¿Red¿ to try and throw everybody off even more and towards the Communists¿ party. This stalls everyone a bit, but he gets caught red handed when the reporters are in the basement and the furnace starts to act funny. Bigger is ordered to clean it and while doing so he disturbs the fire and parts or Mary¿s bones and her jewelry are discovered. With nobody noticing him because of the new, astonishing evidence, Bigger escapes. He is freezing, confused, losing his mind, justifying his killing, and simply try
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Overview
Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape. Native Son tells the story of this young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a young white woman in a brief moment of panic. Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Wright's powerful novel is an unsparing reflection on the poverty and feelings of hopelessness experienced by people in inner cities across the country and of what it means to be black in America.