1. At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to the Thomas family. Describe this family and the conditions in which they live? Be descriptive and use concrete details!
2, The title of Book One is Fear, how is this title symbolic and prophetic at the same time? What was Wright's intention with this title?
3. What initial event happens in the beginning of the novel that is clearly a foreshadowing of events to come?
4. How does Bigger feel about his home and its surroundings?
5. Who are Bigger's friends and what event takes place that creates a level of aggression with these friends?
6. Who are the Dalton's, and where and how do they live?
Chisom Oraedu (post 1):
ReplyDelete1. Bigger’s family lives in a “tiny, one-room apartment” (Wright 4) with two beds. In one bed, there is Bigger and Buddy. In the other bed is Vera and their mother. When they wake up, the women turn away when the men dress and vice versa for the men. They do this to maintain their modesty: “’Turn your heads so I can dress” (Wright 1). The apartment is run down and dilapidated with “thinly plastered walls” (Wright 4). They don’t have a kitchen, only a curtain to separate the gas stove from the rest of the room: “Bigger…darted to a curtain and swept it aside and grabbed two heavy iron skillets from a wall above a gas stove” (Wright 4). A rat appears one morning from the molding in the wall: “Abruptly, they all paused, holding their clothes in their hands, there 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” (Wright 4). He has a fear of killing the rat: “With clenched teeth, Bigger held the skillet; he was afraid to hurl it, fearing that he might miss” (Wright 5). There is the absence of a father, so Bigger is forced into a patriarchal role. He is immature and is a child because he picks up the dead rat and waves it in Vera’s face: “Bigger laughed and approached the bed with the dangling rat, swinging it to and fro like a pendulum, enjoying his sister’s fear” (Wright 7). Bigger is still emotionally immature. He has no model to guide him into becoming a man. This poses a challenge for Bigger. His mother treats him like a child because she is always yelling at him and is antagonizing him to get a job. But she also treats him like a man; she wants him to go out and get a job, but she also chastises him. This is confusing to Bigger. The mother is mad at Bigger because he makes Vera faint: “’You scared your sister with that rat and she fainted! Ain’t you got no sense at all?” (Wright 7). She tries to make him feel guilty; she puts him down and degrades him. Bigger is reserved and withdrawn about this; internally, the audience questions if he is immune to these harsh words. Towards his family, he feels helpless in getting them out of the miserable situation. The family is a constant reminder of his anger and hatreds: “He hated his family because he knew that they were suffering and that he was powerless to help them” (Wright 10). Every time that he is with his family, he sees them in a shameful situation in which he does not want to see them. He is unable to help them out of the situation because he is afraid of the white people. He fears that because of the white oppression, he’ll never be able to help his family.
Chisom Oraedu (post 1 cont.):
ReplyDelete2. Throughout all of Book One, there are various situations in which Bigger is afraid. The title Fear is symbolic because it shows that Bigger’s main emotion is fear. For example, when Gus devises the plan to rob Blum’s Delicatessen, Bigger acts like he’s brave and wants to do it. He even accuses Gus, who later feels indecision toward the robbery, that he is afraid to rob a white man when, in reality, he is the one that’s afraid: “…he was thinking of Blum’s, fascinated with the idea of the robbery, and a little afraid of it” (Wright 23). Bigger is scared because he could potentially go to prison and be killed by the white people. The reason why Bigger wants to do it, despite his fear, is that he desperately needs the money. He needs money to go to the movies and to escape in his imagination, but his mother only gives him enough money for carfare. Despite this need, he still feels fear toward robbing a white man. He does not want to look weak in his friends’ eyes, so he displaces his fear onto Gus in the form of violence. He even pulls a knife on him: “’Get up! Get up and I’ll slice your tonsils!...You want me to slice you?’” (Wright 38). Bigger reveals to Jack that he fears a looming presence over him: “Sometimes I feel like something awful’s going to happen to me…Every time I get to thinking about me being black and they being white, me being here and they being there, I feel like something awful’s going to happen to me….” (Wright 20). This fear of a looming presence is prophetic of a future evil that will occur. Wright’s intention with this title was to inform the reader of the main emotion throughout the story: fear.
3. In the beginning of the novel, Bigger does not want to rob Blum’s Delicatessen, so he starts a fight with Gus to delay them from the job. Before Bigger initiates the fight, Gus confronts him: “’You see, Bigger, you the cause of all the trouble we ever have. It’s your hot temper. Now, how come you want to cuss me? Ain’t I got a right to make up my mind? Naw; that ain’t your way. You start cussing. You say I’m scared. It’s you who’s scared. You scared I’m going to say yes and you’ll have to go through with the job…’” (Wright 27). Gus is spot-on with this accusation, but Bigger still goes on to deny it vehemently. When Bigger initiates the fight, this foreshadows that Bigger will later initiate another conflict to weasel his way out of persecution from the whites. When he kills Mary, he plans to pin the crime on Jan, Mary’s boyfriend: “…I’ll tell ‘em I left her with Jan in the car after I took the trunk down in the basement. In the morning I’ll take the trunk to the station, like she told me…” (Wright 93). He will most likely be caught, though. This likely outcome causes him to try to avoid his fear of the whites and persecution. He’s already been sent to reform school, and he knows that there will be harsher consequences if he’s apprehended again: “…if he got into any more trouble he would be sent to prison and not just the reform school, where they sent him last time” (Wright 15).Later in the novel, Bigger will likely initiate another conflict to escape persecution for murdering Mary Dalton. The foreshadowing of this event occurred in the beginning of the novel when Bigger fights Gus to avoid robbing Blum’s.
Chisom Oraedu (post 1 cont.):
ReplyDelete4. Bigger feels that he and his family live in shameful conditions and that it is his fault for not being able to provide for his family: “He hated his family because he knew that they were suffering and that he was powerless to help them. He knew that the moment he allowed himself to feel to its fulness how they lived, the shame and misery of their lives, he would be swept out of himself with fear and despair” (Wright 10). Bigger must regard his family with coldness because if he lets his wall down, the despair that he feels toward the shameful situation would flood out for his family to see. Bigger’s mother also constantly reminds Bigger of his inability to hold down a job and help his family: “’We wouldn’t have to live in this garbage dump if you had any manhood in you’” (Wright 8). Toward his home situation, Bigger feels misery and hopelessness.
5. Bigger’s friends are Gus, G.H., and Jack. Early in the novel, it is revealed that they plan to rob Blum’s Delicatessen. Bigger does not want to do it because he is scared because is a white man: “…he was thinking of Blum’s, fascinated with the idea of the robbery, and a little afraid of it” (Wright 23). He tries to act tough and strong in front of his friends, though, because he does not want to seem weak. Despite Bigger’s fear, he resolves that he must go through with the robbery because he desperately needs the money. As the time for the job approaches, Bigger grows more and more fearful and resolves to create a delay to keep them from the job. He knew that Gus was wavering on whether or not to go through with it, so he decided to make it seem like Gus was the one that was scared, not him: “’That bastard! I knew it!...He’s just scared. Scared to rob a white man’” (Wright 36). He does not want to be the weak one in the group and is angered by the possibility that he might be seen as this, so he takes out his anger and aggression on Gus: “…he had transferred his fear of the whites to Gus. He hated Gus because he knew that Gus was afraid, as even he was; and he feared Gus because he knew that Gus would consent and then he would be compelled to go through with the robbery” (Wright 25). He knew that Gus would eventually join the group in the robbery, which would force Bigger to go through with it, too. Bigger then devises a plan to weasel his way out of the job. He resolves to start a fight with Gus because he was a few minutes late: “’That ought to teach you not to be late next time, see?’” (Wright 39). This is not the real reason he is fighting him, however. He just needs any excuse to delay the robbery to the point that it’s too late to do it anymore. As soon as Gus enters the poolroom, Bigger attacks him, kicking him down and eventually wielding a knife to his throat. After taunting Gus for a little while, he ultimately sets him free. Bigger tries to convince the group that he did it to teach Gus a lesson for being late, but G.H. sees through this flimsy excuse: “’You done spoiled things now. I reckon that was what you wanted…’” (Wright 40). Bigger constantly has periods of sullenness then violence in his everyday life, which causes a mood of fear and hate to hover around the four men’s friendship: “And it was his sullen stare and the violent action that followed that made Gus and Jack and G.H. hate and fear him as much as he hated and feared himself”(Wright 29). Bigger’s attack on Gus creates a level of aggression between the four friends.
Chisom Oraedu (post 1 cont.):
ReplyDelete6. The Daltons are a rich white family that employs Bigger as their chauffeur. Mr. Dalton is a millionaire real estate company owner. He is very tolerant of blacks and does not support racial discrimination of any type: “’I want you to know why I’m hiring you.’…’You see, Bigger, I’m a supporter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’” (Wright 53). Mr. Dalton is a very tolerant and kind man. Mrs. Dalton, his wife, is a blind woman. She was rich before she married Mr. Dalton: “’But Mrs. Dalton’s the one who’s really nice. If it wasn’t for her, he would not be doing what he does. She made him rich. She had millions when he married her. Of course, he made a lot of money himself afterwards out of real estate. But most of the money’s hers. She’s blind poor thing. She lost her sight ten years ago’” (Wright 56). Bigger finds it difficult to feel pity for her being blind, although it’s expected of him. Mrs. Dalton does not discriminate against colored people either: “’That was Mrs. Dalton…She has a very deep interest in colored people’” (Wright 47). The Daltons live in the white district of Chicago, where Bigger is afraid to enter: “’Gus?’ ‘Hunh?’ ‘You know where the white folks live?’ ‘Yeah,’ Gus said, pointing eastward. ‘Over across the ‘line’; over there on Cottage Grove Avenue.’ ‘Naw; they don’t,’ Bigger said. ‘What you mean?’ Gus asked, puzzled. ‘Then where do they live?’ …’Right down here in my stomach…Every time I think of ‘em, I feel ‘em,’ Bigger said” (Wright 22). He feels that white people are everywhere he turns and that they are even inside of him. He is afraid to enter the Daltons’ home and considers turning around and returning home, rather than accepting the job offer. According to Peggy, the housekeeper, the Daltons act like any other family; they don’t consider themselves different just because they’re rich and white: “’They’ve got millions, but they live like human beings. They don’t put on airs and strut. Mrs. Dalton believes that people should be that way…They’re Christian people and believe in everybody working hard. And living a clean life’” (Wright 56). The Daltons are a very humble and tolerant white family.
1. At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to the Thomas family. Describe this family and the conditions in which they live? Be descriptive and use concrete details!
ReplyDeleteBigger’s family lives in only a one-room apartment, 2 beds but 4 people. When his mother tells his sister to get up, “She turned to the bed from which she had risen and called: Vera! Get up from there!” (3). They have to turn around while somebody gets dressed. When Bigger’s mother screams, “The tiny, one-room apartment galvanized into violent action” (4). Maybe Bigger’s mom’s job is to wash clothes. Bigger is angry with his family because they always argue. Bigger is really afraid about killing the rat and it does bite him. In Bigger’s family, there is no father in his family now. No one is there to teach Bigger to be a man and to be mature, and his mother treated him much like a child.
2. The title of Book One is Fear, how is this title symbolic and prophetic at the same time? What was Wright's intention with this title?
At the beginning of Book One, the title is showed when the rat appears, so the whole family feels scared. The family wants to kill the rat. Bigger tries to catch the rat. However, they are both afraid of each other. The fear really does exist. So the only things they can do are to protect themselves and attack each other.
Also, Bigger is afraid of the whites but acts mean, Gus says to him, “It’s you who’s scared. You scared I’m going to say yes and you’ll have to go through with the job…” (27). Bigger does not won’t to rob anyone and has been feeling fear, “He didn’t want to rob Blum’s; he was scared” (35).
3. What initial event happens in the beginning of the novel that is clearly a foreshadowing of events to come?
Bigger has to kill a rat that is in their apartment. He kills it with a skillet. Bigger is smart about it. He tells his brother to “Put that box in front of the hole so he can’t get out!” (5). He is trapping the rat. The rat looks for a way to escape, and when it can’t it attacks Bigger. Bigger cannot escape his environment just like the rat.
-Shelley
4. How does Bigger feel about his home and its surroundings?
ReplyDeleteBigger doesn’t like his home. He doesn’t get along with his family. His mother says, “Bigger, sometimes I wonder why I birthed you” (Wright 8). Although sometimes my mother has said this to me, she is just kidding. Bigger’s mother is not kidding. Bigger’s response tells the reader that he is not happy where he is – “Maybe you oughtn’t’ve. Maybe you ought to have left me where I was” (Wright 8). Bigger really does not want to live in his life. He does not want to be black or poor or big or part of his family or live in a one room apartment or sleep next to his brother. Bigger does not know what he wants or where he came from originally, he just knows he does not like his life in his family.
Bigger does not want the same things his friends want. He does not feel right about robbing the whites. “His confused emotions had made him feel instinctively that it would be better to fight Gus and spoil the plan of the robbery than to confront a white man with a gun” (Wright 42). “Instinctively” means that Bigger had acted without thinking about it in order to survive. He feels that he must survive his surroundings.
5. Who are Bigger's friends and what event takes place that creates a level of aggression with these friends?
Bigger’s friends are Gus, G.H., and Jack and Doc. The friends are going to rob the whites. Gus says that Bigger is scared so he does not want to rob the whites. This makes Bigger. He then gets angrier when Gus is late. Gus and Bigger get into a fight, and Gus throws a pool ball at Bigger then runs out. Bigger falls on a pool cue and everyone starts laughing. This makes Bigger uncomfortable because they are his friends but he does not feel like them. Bigger does not feel equal to them unless fighting, “At least the fight made him feel the equal of them” (Wright 41). He feels lonely even though he has friends because he is different.
6. Who are the Dalton's, and where and how do they live?
They are a white family who if very kind. Mr. Dalton is a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Bigger is hired to drive for them. The Dalton’s lived on Drexel Boulevard which looked like a street out of a movie. The streets were empty except for cars. Bigger was uncomfortable being out of his neighborhood because of how the whites would think of him. “It would be thought that he was trying to rob or rape somebody…He could have stayed among his people and escaped feeling this fear and hate. This was not his world; he had been foolish in thinking that he would have liked it” (Wright 44). The Dalton’s house is really different, “He had not expected anything like this; he had not thought that this world would be so utterly different from his own that it would intimidate him” (Wright 45). Bigger was not comfortable.
Mr. Dalton is kind to the colored people and help a lot. The last colored people who worked for him worked for 10 years then were sent to a nice school by Mr. Dalton. Mrs. Dalton is blind and is also kind and helps Bigger when he is thirsty to find a glass. They try to make Bigger feel more comfortable and ask him about where he comes from. Bigger does not like being asked questions by Mary because he cannot answer all of them and is afraid that it will make him lose his job.
-Shelley
4. How does Bigger feel about his home and its surroundings?
ReplyDeleteBigger doesn’t like his home. He doesn’t get along with his family. His mother says, “Bigger, sometimes I wonder why I birthed you” (Wright 8). Although sometimes my mother has said this to me, she is just kidding. Bigger’s mother is not kidding. Bigger’s response tells the reader that he is not happy where he is – “Maybe you oughtn’t’ve. Maybe you ought to have left me where I was” (Wright 8). Bigger really does not want to live in his life. He does not want to be black or poor or big or part of his family or live in a one room apartment or sleep next to his brother. Bigger does not know what he wants or where he came from originally, he just knows he does not like his life in his family.
Bigger does not want the same things his friends want. He does not feel right about robbing the whites. “His confused emotions had made him feel instinctively that it would be better to fight Gus and spoil the plan of the robbery than to confront a white man with a gun” (Wright 42). “Instinctively” means that Bigger had acted without thinking about it in order to survive. He feels that he must survive his surroundings.
5. Who are Bigger's friends and what event takes place that creates a level of aggression with these friends?
Bigger’s friends are Gus, G.H., and Jack and Doc. The friends are going to rob the whites. Gus says that Bigger is scared so he does not want to rob the whites. This makes Bigger. He then gets angrier when Gus is late. Gus and Bigger get into a fight, and Gus throws a pool ball at Bigger then runs out. Bigger falls on a pool cue and everyone starts laughing. This makes Bigger uncomfortable because they are his friends but he does not feel like them. Bigger does not feel equal to them unless fighting, “At least the fight made him feel the equal of them” (Wright 41). He feels lonely even though he has friends because he is different.
6. Who are the Dalton's, and where and how do they live?
They are a white family who if very kind. Mr. Dalton is a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Bigger is hired to drive for them. The Dalton’s lived on Drexel Boulevard which looked like a street out of a movie. The streets were empty except for cars. Bigger was uncomfortable being out of his neighborhood because of how the whites would think of him. “It would be thought that he was trying to rob or rape somebody…He could have stayed among his people and escaped feeling this fear and hate. This was not his world; he had been foolish in thinking that he would have liked it” (Wright 44). The Dalton’s house is really different, “He had not expected anything like this; he had not thought that this world would be so utterly different from his own that it would intimidate him” (Wright 45). Bigger was not comfortable.
Mr. Dalton is kind to the colored people and help a lot. The last colored people who worked for him worked for 10 years then were sent to a nice school by Mr. Dalton. Mrs. Dalton is blind and is also kind and helps Bigger when he is thirsty to find a glass. They try to make Bigger feel more comfortable and ask him about where he comes from. Bigger does not like being asked questions by Mary because he cannot answer all of them and is afraid that it will make him lose his job.
-Shelley
4. How does Bigger feel about his home and its surroundings?
ReplyDeleteBigger doesn’t like his home. He doesn’t get along with his family. His mother says, “Bigger, sometimes I wonder why I birthed you” (Wright 8). Although sometimes my mother has said this to me, she is just kidding. Bigger’s mother is not kidding. Bigger’s response tells the reader that he is not happy where he is – “Maybe you oughtn’t’ve. Maybe you ought to have left me where I was” (Wright 8). Bigger really does not want to live in his life. He does not want to be black or poor or big or part of his family or live in a one room apartment or sleep next to his brother. Bigger does not know what he wants or where he came from originally, he just knows he does not like his life in his family.
Bigger does not want the same things his friends want. He does not feel right about robbing the whites. “His confused emotions had made him feel instinctively that it would be better to fight Gus and spoil the plan of the robbery than to confront a white man with a gun” (Wright 42). “Instinctively” means that Bigger had acted without thinking about it in order to survive. He feels that he must survive his surroundings.
5. Who are Bigger's friends and what event takes place that creates a level of aggression with these friends?
Bigger’s friends are Gus, G.H., and Jack and Doc. The friends are going to rob the whites. Gus says that Bigger is scared so he does not want to rob the whites. This makes Bigger. He then gets angrier when Gus is late. Gus and Bigger get into a fight, and Gus throws a pool ball at Bigger then runs out. Bigger falls on a pool cue and everyone starts laughing. This makes Bigger uncomfortable because they are his friends but he does not feel like them. Bigger does not feel equal to them unless fighting, “At least the fight made him feel the equal of them” (Wright 41). He feels lonely even though he has friends because he is different.
6. Who are the Dalton's, and where and how do they live?
They are a white family who if very kind. Mr. Dalton is a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Bigger is hired to drive for them. The Dalton’s lived on Drexel Boulevard which looked like a street out of a movie. The streets were empty except for cars. Bigger was uncomfortable being out of his neighborhood because of how the whites would think of him. “It would be thought that he was trying to rob or rape somebody…He could have stayed among his people and escaped feeling this fear and hate. This was not his world; he had been foolish in thinking that he would have liked it” (Wright 44). The Dalton’s house is really different, “He had not expected anything like this; he had not thought that this world would be so utterly different from his own that it would intimidate him” (Wright 45). Bigger was not comfortable.
Mr. Dalton is kind to the colored people and help a lot. The last colored people who worked for him worked for 10 years then were sent to a nice school by Mr. Dalton. Mrs. Dalton is blind and is also kind and helps Bigger when he is thirsty to find a glass. They try to make Bigger feel more comfortable and ask him about where he comes from. Bigger does not like being asked questions by Mary because he cannot answer all of them and is afraid that it will make him lose his job.
-Shelley
Chisom Oraedu:
ReplyDeleteI posted my second blog response as a blog post titled "Chisom Oraedu (post 2): Native Son, November 14th."
When you are first introduced to bigger and his family you get a glimpse of the way that they live. You can immediately tell that they live under bad conditions. In the novel it describes their house as being very small “ naked feet swished dryly across the planks in the wooden floor and the clang eased abruptly…light flooded the room and revealed a black boy standing in a narrow space between two iron beds”. Wright describes the house as being small with floors that are coming apart. It also shows that there are four people living in a one bedroom apartment. The boys share one bed and the girls share another. Living in only a one room apartment they are forced to make that one room be their entire house. They have only one thin sheet that separates the bedroom from their kitchen. They are even forced to change in their bedroom and to have privacy they must simply turn away.
ReplyDeleteI think that the reason that the title is fear is because the entire book is showing Bigger’s fear. The first thing that bigger is afraid about has to be a father figure for his family. Wright shows that Bigger’s fear by saying “He hated his family because he knew that they were suffering and that he was powerless to help them. He knew the moment he allowed himself to feel to its fullness how they lived, the shame and misery of their lives, would be swept out of himself with fear and despair” he feels helpless and not only is he afraid of having to be responsible but I think that he is also afraid that if he does take responsibility and he fails that he will just make his family’s situation worse. However I also think that at the end of the book big is afraid that once he will get caught that his life will just go downhill from there. “I don’t know. I just feel that way. Every time I get to thinking about me being black and they being white, me being here and they being there, I feel like something awful going to happen to me…Naw; it ain’t like something going to happen to me. It’s like I was going to do something I can’t help”. After he kills Mary he suddenly feels horrible because I think he’s scared that he’s becoming a murdered. So he’s afraid of what he’s becoming.
The event that happens that something’s going to happen to me is when Bigger is scared an instead of accepting his fear he lets it take control of him which leads him to get into a fight with Gus. “You see, Bigger, you the cause of all the trouble we ever have. It’s your hot temper. Now, how come you want to cuss me? Ain’t I got a right to make up my mind? Naw; that ain’t your way. You start cussing. You say I’m scared. It’s you who’s scared. You scared. I’m going to say yes and you’ll have to go through with the job” I think this is foreshadowing that Bigger will do something just like this but worse later on. So I think this is showing that if Bigger’s actions will come back to haunt him.
Bigger hates his family. I think he feels that way because in his mind they are keeping him from the opportunities that he wants. And he thinks that they are forcing him to do things and get responsibilities that he doesn’t want to take on. “As he ate he felt that they were thinking of the job he was to get that evening and it made him angry; he felt that they had tricked him into a cheap surrender” he feels like his family could possibly take away his youth and they are making him surrender to unwanted responsibility.
When you are first introduced to bigger and his family you get a glimpse of the way that they live. You can immediately tell that they live under bad conditions. In the novel it describes their house as being very small “ naked feet swished dryly across the planks in the wooden floor and the clang eased abruptly…light flooded the room and revealed a black boy standing in a narrow space between two iron beds”. Wright describes the house as being small with floors that are coming apart. It also shows that there are four people living in a one bedroom apartment. The boys share one bed and the girls share another. Living in only a one room apartment they are forced to make that one room be their entire house. They have only one thin sheet that separates the bedroom from their kitchen. They are even forced to change in their bedroom and to have privacy they must simply turn away.
ReplyDeleteI think that the reason that the title is fear is because the entire book is showing Bigger’s fear. The first thing that bigger is afraid about has to be a father figure for his family. Wright shows that Bigger’s fear by saying “He hated his family because he knew that they were suffering and that he was powerless to help them. He knew the moment he allowed himself to feel to its fullness how they lived, the shame and misery of their lives, would be swept out of himself with fear and despair” he feels helpless and not only is he afraid of having to be responsible but I think that he is also afraid that if he does take responsibility and he fails that he will just make his family’s situation worse. However I also think that at the end of the book big is afraid that once he will get caught that his life will just go downhill from there. “I don’t know. I just feel that way. Every time I get to thinking about me being black and they being white, me being here and they being there, I feel like something awful going to happen to me…Naw; it ain’t like something going to happen to me. It’s like I was going to do something I can’t help”. After he kills Mary he suddenly feels horrible because I think he’s scared that he’s becoming a murdered. So he’s afraid of what he’s becoming.
The event that happens that something’s going to happen to me is when Bigger is scared an instead of accepting his fear he lets it take control of him which leads him to get into a fight with Gus. “You see, Bigger, you the cause of all the trouble we ever have. It’s your hot temper. Now, how come you want to cuss me? Ain’t I got a right to make up my mind? Naw; that ain’t your way. You start cussing. You say I’m scared. It’s you who’s scared. You scared. I’m going to say yes and you’ll have to go through with the job” I think this is foreshadowing that Bigger will do something just like this but worse later on. So I think this is showing that if Bigger’s actions will come back to haunt him.
Bigger hates his family. I think he feels that way because in his mind they are keeping him from the opportunities that he wants. And he thinks that they are forcing him to do things and get responsibilities that he doesn’t want to take on. “As he ate he felt that they were thinking of the job he was to get that evening and it made him angry; he felt that they had tricked him into a cheap surrender” he feels like his family could possibly take away his youth and they are making him surrender to unwanted responsibility.
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ReplyDelete1. When you are first introduced to bigger and his family you get a glimpse of the way that they live. You can immediately tell that they live under bad conditions. In the novel it describes their house as being very small “ naked feet swished dryly across the planks in the wooden floor and the clang eased abruptly…light flooded the room and revealed a black boy standing in a narrow space between two iron beds”. Wright describes the house as being small with floors that are coming apart. It also shows that there are four people living in a one bedroom apartment. The boys share one bed and the girls share another. Living in only a one room apartment they are forced to make that one room be their entire house. They have only one thin sheet that separates the bedroom from their kitchen. They are even forced to change in their bedroom and to have privacy they must simply turn away.
ReplyDelete2. I think that the reason that the title is fear is because the entire book is showing Bigger’s fear. The first thing that bigger is afraid about has to be a father figure for his family. Wright shows that Bigger’s fear by saying “He hated his family because he knew that they were suffering and that he was powerless to help them. He knew the moment he allowed himself to feel to its fullness how they lived, the shame and misery of their lives, would be swept out of himself with fear and despair” he feels helpless and not only is he afraid of having to be responsible but I think that he is also afraid that if he does take responsibility and he fails that he will just make his family’s situation worse. However I also think that at the end of the book big is afraid that once he will get caught that his life will just go downhill from there. “I don’t know. I just feel that way. Every time I get to thinking about me being black and they being white, me being here and they being there, I feel like something awful going to happen to me…Naw; it ain’t like something going to happen to me. It’s like I was going to do something I can’t help”. After he kills Mary he suddenly feels horrible because I think he’s scared that he’s becoming a murdered. So he’s afraid of what he’s becoming.
3. The event that happens that something’s going to happen to me is when Bigger is scared an instead of accepting his fear he lets it take control of him which leads him to get into a fight with Gus. “You see, Bigger, you the cause of all the trouble we ever have. It’s your hot temper. Now, how come you want to cuss me? Ain’t I got a right to make up my mind? Naw; that ain’t your way. You start cussing. You say I’m scared. It’s you who’s scared. You scared. I’m going to say yes and you’ll have to go through with the job” I think this is foreshadowing that Bigger will do something just like this but worse later on. So I think this is showing that if Bigger’s actions will come back to haunt him.
4. Bigger hates his family. I think he feels that way because in his mind they are keeping him from the opportunities that he wants. And he thinks that they are forcing him to do things and get responsibilities that he doesn’t want to take on. “As he ate he felt that they were thinking of the job he was to get that evening and it made him angry; he felt that they had tricked him into a cheap surrender” he feels like his family could possibly take away his youth and they are making him surrender to unwanted responsibility.
Deidre Staples
Chisom Oraedu (post 3):
ReplyDelete1. At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to the Thomas family. Describe this family and the conditions in which they live? Be descriptive and use concrete details!
In response to Shelley’s comment, I say that Mrs. Thomas’s job is to not necessarily wash clothes, but to make sure that all of the everyday trivial jobs around the apartment, such as washing clothes, are completed. She is basically a homemaker. I also think that Bigger was not angry with his family because of their constant bickering; rather, he hates them because they force him to take on responsibilities that he does not feel should be put on his shoulders. For example, Mrs. Thomas urges Bigger constantly to accept the job offer of the Daltons, but Bigger is stubborn and continues to refuse. Bigger feels that his family tries to force him to do things that are right for them and not for him. Bigger also hates his family because he knows that they are suffering and that they expect him to be their salvation. It is a lot to shoulder for a young twenty-year-old who is just discovering the excitement that life offers. For example, Wright states in the novel, “He hated his family because he knew that they were suffering and that he was powerless to help them” (Wright 10). Bigger does not want to face the miserable conditions in which his family is forced to live, so he acts coldly and hatefully toward them. I also say in response to Shelley’s comment that the rat at the beginning of the novel symbolizes Bigger’s and all other blacks’ inability to escape white oppression. The rat’s entrapment in the apartment reflects how Bigger is trapped in a society that does not allow him to reach any of his aspirations. Bigger converses with Gus about the limited opportunities available to blacks: “’They don’t let us do nothing.’ ‘Who?’ ‘The white folks…They got things and we ain’t. They do things and we can’t. It’s just like living in a jail’” (Wright 20). Bigger feels trapped in the world that he lives in, just like the rat is trapped in the Thomas’s apartment. The reason that Bigger is afraid to kill the rat is because it foreshadows that someday, like with the rat, the entrapment in the white oppression will result in his death. I think that Shelley really captured and understood the main facets of the Thomas family.
2. The title of Book One is Fear, how is this title symbolic and prophetic at the same time? What was Wright's intention with this title?
I agree with Shelley in the sense that Bigger’s greatest fear is the white people. He constantly fears that he is doing the wrong thing when he is in their presence, so he just tries to avoid them altogether. For example, when Bigger enters the Dalton house for the first time, he is unsure of how he should act: “He had not raised his eye to the level of Mr. Dalton’s face since he had been in the house…There was an organic conviction in him that this was the way white folks wanted him to be when in their presence…He laid the cap down, noticing that Mr. Dalton was watching him closely. Maybe he was not acting right?” (Wright 48). He is very nervous when he is around white people and tries not to do anything that will garner negative attention. Bigger has a fear that he will do something wrong and will be punished. Bigger’s fear of the whites is just one of the many fears mentioned throughout Book One. This fear of the whites is also seen when Bigger is apprehensive to rob Blum’s. He fears robbing a white man and does not want to do it, but he pretends like he does because he does not want to seem weak in his friends’ eyes. He tries to deny his fear and cast it onto Gus: “…he had transferred his fear of the whites to Gus. He hated Gus because he knew that Gus was afraid, as even he was” (Wright 25). The fear that he feels drives him to hate and abuse his friend. The title Fear is prophetic of how Bigger will let his fears drive him to do terrible things. With this title, Wright meant to convey that the main emotion felt by Bigger is fear.
Chisom Oraedu (post 3 cont.):
ReplyDelete3. What initial event happens in the beginning of the novel that is clearly a foreshadowing of events to come?
The foreshadowing event occurs when Bigger is talking to Gus outside of the pool hall. They stare up at the sky and talk about the racist society in which they live. At one point, Bigger says to Gus, “Sometimes I feel like something awful’s going to happen to me…Naw; it ain’t like something going to happen to me. It’s like I was going to do something I can’t help….’” (Wright 22). This statement conveys that in the very near future, Bigger will do something that is terrible but out of his control. In the end, the looming feeling comes true and Bigger kills Mary Dalton. Just as Bigger said before that he would not be able to control the terrible thing that happened, he could not control the fact that he killed her. He did not realize that the force with which he was holding the pillow down would smother her. He was shocked when he realized that she was dead: “…He looked at the shadowy bed and remembered Mary as some person he had not seen in a long time. She was still there. Had he hurt her…Thought and feeling were balked in him; there was something he was trying to tell himself, desperately, but could not. Then, convulsively, he sucked his breath in and huge words formed slowly, ringing in his ears: She’s dead” (Wright 87). Bigger cannot believe the terrible thing that he has done and panics to try to cover it up. He does not want to end up in jail or killed. Bigger fears from the beginning that he will do something bad, and in the end, this fear comes true.
4. How does Bigger feel about his home and its surroundings?
I completely agree with everything that Shelley said. Bigger hates his family and wishes desperately that they would just leave him alone and that his mother would stop urging him to get a job: “’You going to take the job, ain’t you, Bigger?’ ‘I told you last night I was going to take it. How many times you want to ask me?’” (Wright 11). Bigger is annoyed by his family’s constant nagging toward him. As Shelley said, Bigger wishes that he had a different life, one in which he had a better family and better living conditions; maybe he even wishes that he was white. But mainly he just wants to live a better life than the one he has now. Maybe if Bigger had a father and an education and was rich like the Daltons, his life would not be so miserable. Bigger regards his family with a sense of apathy and is unemotional when around them: “…he held toward them an attitude of iron reserve; he lived with them, but behind a wall, a curtain” (Wright 10). Bigger hates his family and his home, and wishes that they were better. He does not like that they “’have to live like pigs’” (Wright 11). Toward his surroundings, Bigger feels that the blacks should have all the opportunities that the whites have. He does not like the fact that he has to sacrifice many things and they do not. He complains to Gus, “’They don’t let us do nothing.’ ‘Who?’ ‘The white folks…I just can’t get used to it’“ (Wright 20). He hates the fact that his opportunities are limited by the white oppression. Bigger wants to fly planes and achieve all that he can in life. He feels that his surrounding are unfair and that the white people should give the blacks equal rights.
Chisom Oraedu (post 3 cont.):
ReplyDelete5. Who are Bigger's friends, and what event takes place that creates a level of aggression with these friends?
Bigger’s friends are Gus, G.H., and Jack. Bigger’s mother does not approve of them, though. She says to Bigger, “’If you don’t stop running with that gang of yours and do right you’ll end up where you never thought you would…the gallows is at the end of the road you traveling, boy’” (Wright 9). Mrs. Thomas sees Bigger’s friends as a bad influence on him, and she is right in this belief. Bigger later divulges on the petty crimes that they had previously committed: “Holding up Blum…would be their last job. But it would be the toughest one they had ever pulled. All the other times they had raided newsstands, fruit stands, and apartments. And, too, they had never held up a white man before. They had always robbed Negroes” (Wright 14). Bigger is fearful of robbing a white man and sees this job on a whole other level than the smaller robberies he had committed before. When it comes time to commit the deed, Bigger is afraid and tries to displace his fear on someone else. Unfortunately for Gus, it just so happened to be him. Upon Gus’s entering the pool hall a few minutes late, Bigger attacks him and pulls a knife on him. After releasing him, Bigger later explains that he did it to teach Gus a lesson: “’That ought to teach you not to be late next time, see?’“(Wright 39). In reality, Bigger did not care that Gus was late. He just wanted to stall enough that he would have an excuse not to go through with the robbery. After this event, there is a level of aggression and tension between the friends. It seems to Bigger’s friends that he is always the source of their troubles: “’You see Bigger, you the cause of all the trouble we ever have. It’s your hot temper’“(Wright 26). Bigger’s friends feel that his unbalanced temper is like a minefield just waiting to go off. Bigger’s attack on Gus puts a strain on the four friends’ friendship.
Chisom Oraedu (post 3 cont.):
ReplyDelete6. Who are the Daltons, and where and how do they live?
The Daltons are the family that employs Bigger as chauffeur. Mr. Dalton is an entrepreneur: “…Mr. Dalton owned the South Side Real Estate Company… “ (Wright 48). Mrs. Dalton is his blind wife: “The man let go of the woman and she walked on slowly, the long white fingers of her hands just barely touching the walls. Behind the woman, following at the hem of her dress, was a big white cat, pacing without sound. She’s blind!” (Wright 46). She has a seeing eye cat and always wears white. Their daughter is Mary. She is not afraid of Bigger and does not hesitate to begin talking to him upon seeing him. She even ventures to ask him about a taboo subject: “The girl came close to him and stopped just opposite his chair. ‘Bigger, do you belong to a union?’…He knew nothing about unions, except that they were considered bad” (Wright 51-52). The Daltons seem like a picturesque family on the outside, but on the inside, they are far from it. When Mary disappears, Mr. Dalton hesitates to inform the police because he fears the public finding out about his family’s personal strife. His team of private investigators urge him to reconsider this, but he refuses: “’He won’t call the cops?’ ‘Naw; he’s scared stiff…tell ‘im there ain’t nothing to do now but to call the cops.’ ‘Well, after all, it’s his daughter. Let him handle it”’ (Wright 193). The Daltons try to make it seem like they are perfect, and in many ways, they are. The Daltons are a down-to-earth family that do not think they are better than anyone else just because they are rich. According to Peggy, “They’ve got millions, but they live like human beings. They don’t put on airs and strut. Mrs. Dalton believes that people should be that way…They’re Christian people and believe in everybody working hard. And living a clean life’” (Wright 56). The Daltons are the ideal white family; they are rich and respected while still having good morals. They live “’Over across the ‘line’…’” (Wright 21) on the white side of town, away from the urban ghettos of the black people. This does not mean that they are not aware of the black’s sufferings across town. Mr. Dalton does his best to help and support the advancement of colored people in society: “’…I’m a supporter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.’ ‘…he does a lot for...the colored people. He gave over five million dollars to colored schools’” (Wright 53-56). Mr. Dalton feels a sense of guilt for his fellow white brethren keeping the blacks down, so he tries to make up for it by being extremely kind and fair toward them. Mary also supports the advancement of blacks by following Communist ideals and promoting a society in which blacks are equal to whites. The Daltons live a humble life and really support the equal rights of black people.
5. bigger's friends are Gus, G.H, and jack. when they were plotting to steal from a white man they were just about to go out with their plan but Bigger got very scared and his fear, again, controlled his actions. "you see, Bigger, you the cause of all the trouble we ever have. It's your hot temper. now, how come you want to cuss me? ain't i got a right to make up my minds? naw; that ain't your way. you start cussing. you say i'm scared. It's you who's scared. you scared. I'm going to say yes and you'll have to go through with the job..." when Gus got to the store a few minutes late bigger got made the situation into something bigger. he began to beat up Gus and threatned to kill him. after that was over Gus said that he knew what he was doing and he was just making a scene because he was afraid.
ReplyDeletethose last two post are from deidre
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