SECTION B
NON-AFRICAN PROSE
RICHARD WRIGHT: Native Son
5. Comment on Bigger's last moments with Max.
6. Examine Bigger's visits to Bessie in the novel
Question 5
(1) Relation to the theme: One of the themes explored in the novel is racial discrimination in America and how it affects black. Bigger's reaction to the system lands him in jail and he heads for the electric chair
(2) Character identification: (i) Bigger is the protagonist. (ii) Max is Bigger's lawyer; he is a member of the Communist Party. (iii) The last meeting between Bigger and Max takes place in Bigger's cell.
(3) Bigger's crime and his punishment: (I) Bigger has killed Mary Dalton and his girlfriend Bessie. (ii) He is hunted down and tried in a Chicago court. (iii) Max offers to defend Bigger in court in spite of Bigger's initial suspicion of Max and Jan.
(4) Max's defence and Bigger's death sentence: (i) Max pleads Bigger is not in court to plead innocence.(ii) He appeals to the jury to consider Bigger as a victim of state policy and social discrimination. (iii) Bigger is to die on or before midnight of Friday, March 3rd, in a manner prescribed by the been pretty deep in me to make me kill'.
(5) The last moments with Max: (i) Bigger uses his last moment to 'accustom his mind to death as much as possible, reflecting on past events and how he has lived. (ii) Bigger yearns and 'longed to talk to Max more than ever even though he is not sure of what to discuss with him. (iii) Max shares insightful experiences about life with him and says.. in the work, I'm doing, I look at the world in a way that shows no whites and no blacks, no civilised and no savages. (iv) Bigger clears his mind about death; he 'didn't want to kill. But what I killed for, I am! It must've been pretty deep in me to make me kill'.
(6) Significance of the moments: (i) The meeting showcases Bigger's psychological reaction to his impending death. (ii) It concludes the writer's concerns about the black man's identity. (iii) It reveals Bigger as a fulfilled character who accepts his fate happily, bidding Max Good-bye. I am all right, For real I am'.
Question 6:
(1) Relation to theme: The novel explores the theme of fear in a racially segregated America. It is this fear that triggers Bigger's reaction, culminating in his committing murders and thus advancing the plot.
(2) Character identification: (i) Bigger full name is Bigger Thomas, the protagonist in the novel. He is driven to violence by fear. His girlfriend is Bessie Mears. (ii) Bessie is Bigger's girlfriend. She works for a white family as a domestic servant. She is depressed.
(3) Purpose of the visits: (i) To gratify his sexual needs. (ii) To escape from the persistent questioning at the Daltons, lest he gives himself away. Thus, he wants to escape from the feeling of strain that had come over him while talking to Mrs. Dalton.
(4) His first visit: (i) Bessie's reception of Bigger is cold. She calls him a 'stranger and she shied away from his attempt to kiss her' (ii) They make love (iii) Bigger hits on the idea of demanding a ransom (iv) They go out for drinks at 'Paris Grill'. (v) They share stories about 'Loeb and Leopold'.
(5) Second visit: (i) On this occasion, Bigger is apprehensive. (ii) Bigger and Bessie run to a hide-out in 'a black, looming, empty, apartment building'. (iii) Bigger kills Bessie
(ii) They trigger the sub-plot of the novel. (6) Significance: (i) The visits give added information about Bigger's evasive and violent nature. (ii) They demonstrate how fear affects the black characters. (iii) They trigger the subplot of the novel (iv) They show Bigger's and Bessie's relationship as purely sexual. (v) They reveal Bessie's dependence on liquor as a way to suppress her depression. (vi) They intensify the violence.
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