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Character Analysis Of Native Son

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Driven out of their homes by harsh discrimination, millions of blacks moved from the south to north in search of job opportunities between 1910 and 1930. This “Great Migration” resulted in a segregated “Black Belt” community within Chicago. This is where Bigger Thomas, the main character of Richard Wright’s novel Native Son, lives along with his mother, brother, and sister in an overpriced one-bedroom apartment. After incessant pestering from his mother, Bigger gets a job with Henry Dalton, a rich white businessman. On his first day of work, Bigger accidently suffocates Mr. Dalton’s daughter Mary because he is afraid he is going to get caught taking her out drunk late at night. This seemingly accidental incident drove Bigger to commit a number of other crimes including rape, theft, and murder in order to prevent being caught. Through this effort, Bigger reveals his obscure motivations and dangerous thoughts. Bigger’s need for control results in violent and impulsive behavior. Also, Bigger seeks control over others like his girlfriend Bessie and the Dalton’s through manipulation. Bigger is not a sympathetic character because his actions stem from his own mental obsessions, such as his need for control and inability to accept his fear, while his position in society merely provides an avenue in which he can act upon those obsessions. Because of Bigger’s own obsession with control, he attempts to exert power over his friend Gus, despite being in the same situation as him. Gus

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