1. Compare and contrast Bigger's attitude toward the world around him and Mrs. Thomas'.
2. Mr. Dalton and Jan Erlone both profess to be friendly towards African Americans, yet they are hostile to each other. Compare and contrast their attitudes towards African Americans and explain their mutual hostility?
3. How is really fear to blame for the muder of Mary (this is a comprehensive question, be thoughtful and think of all aspects of fear that lead to the murder of Mary)?
Chisom Oraedu (post 1):
ReplyDelete1. Compare and contrast Bigger's attitude toward the world around him and Mrs. Thomas's.
Bigger feels that if he accepts the job that he would have been “tricked…into a cheap surrender” (Wright 12). He wants to accept a job that’s right for him, not just take the first one that comes along. This differs from Mrs. Thomas’s because she wants to just take what she can get because she feels a sense of desperation for money and survival. She has this take-what-you-can-get attitude because her husband died and she’s left to raise three kids on her own in a racist society. She has a survival mentality. She does not have the opportunity to reach her potential and just needs to do what she can to survive. Bigger questions the world he lives in and why the whites have things that he doesn’t. He and Gus converse, “’They don’t let us do nothing.’ ‘Who?’ ‘The white folks.’ ‘You talk like you just finding that out.’ ‘Naw. But I just can’t get used to it…We live here and they live there. We black and they white. They got things and we ain’t. They do things and we can’t. It’s just like living in a jail. Half the time I feel like I’m on the outside of the world peeping in through a knothole in the fence….’” (Wright 19-20). Bigger aspires to make a difference in society and achieve things that other blacks can only dream of doing. Bigger’s attitude toward the world is one of optimism; he doesn’t consider the exceptional opportunities that whites have as ones that he will never be able to accomplish. Bigger is a romantic; he has certain ideals and attitudes that may be considered impractical, such as becoming a pilot: “’Look!’ ‘What?’ ‘That plane writing up there.’ ’Them white boys sure can fly.’ ‘Yeah. They get a chance to do everything…Why don’t they let us fly planes and run ships….’ (Wright 16-20). Bigger’s role as a romantic contrasts Mrs. Thomas’s role as a realist. She only considers things as they appear to be and avoids ideals and abstractions. She does not even consider the possibility that the blacks will ever have the opportunity to achieve what the whites have. She urges Bigger to take a second-rate job just because they desperately need money. She does not consider the fact that Bigger does not want the job. She chastises Bigger, “’Even when the relief offers you a job you won’t take it till they threaten to cut off your food and starve you! Bigger, honest, you the most no-countest man I ever seen in all my life!’” Mrs. Thomas is more realistic towards the society that she lives in, which is necessary in order to survive.
Chisom Oraedu (post 1 cont.):
ReplyDelete3. How is really fear to blame for the murder of Mary (this is a comprehensive question, be thoughtful and think of all aspects of fear that lead to the murder of Mary)?
Fear is the main cause for the murder of Mary. The entire reason why he killed her in the first place is because he was afraid that Mrs. Dalton would catch him in Mary’s room with her at night: “He turned and a hysterical terror seized him, as though he were falling from a great height in a dream. A white blur was standing by the door, silent, ghostlike. It filled his eyes and gripped his body. It was Mrs. Dalton…Bigger held his breath. Mary mumbled again; he bent over he, his fists clenched in fear…He waited tensely, afraid to move for fear of bumping into something in the dark and betraying his presence…He felt Mary trying to rise and quickly pushed her head back to the pillow” (Wright 85). In the moment when Mrs. Dalton enters the room, a multitude of fears flow through Bigger: fear of being caught in her room at night, fear of being killed for kissing a white girl, fear of losing his job. All of these fears gripped him at once and became overwhelming. While Mary in her drunken stupor tried to respond to her mother’s calls, Bigger was only trying to keep her quiet. When he puts the pillow over her face to muffle her mumblings, he does not realize the force with which he is pushing down. Mary claws at his wrists, desperate for oxygen, but he does not notice: “Mary’s fingernails tore at his hands and he caught the pillow and covered her entire face with it, firmly” (Wright 85). All of his concentration is focused on quieting her. He does not want to see his fear of persecution realized and he makes sure that that will not happen. Bigger becomes so focused on this sole objective that he leaves all of his other sense behind and only feels the powerful sense of self-preservation: “Mary’s body surged upward and he pushed downward upon the pillow with all of his weight, determined that she must not move or make any sound that would betray him” (Wright 85). In that moment, he only considers himself and what will happen to him if he is caught, not the suffocating girl beneath him. Bigger’s fear of being caught causes him to murder Mary.
1. Compare and contrast Bigger's attitude toward the world around him and Mrs. Thomas'.
ReplyDeleteBigger’s world is full of the Blacks. They are all African Americans. Bigger really wants to do a lot for his family, but he cannot do anything to help. “He hated his family because he knew that they were suffering and that he was powerless to help them” (Wright 10). So it shows he wants to find some ways to help Mrs. Thomas but he thinks that things will never change. Mrs. Thomas wants more for her children. She can provide things if Bigger gets the job. “If you get that job…I can fix up a nice place for you children. You could be comfortable and not have to live like pigs” (Wright 11).
2. Mr. Dalton and Jan Erlone both profess to be friendly towards African Americans, yet they are hostile to each other. Compare and contrast their attitudes towards African Americans and explain their mutual hostility?
Mr. Dalton tries to do a lot to help Africa Americans. The last colored people who worked for him worked for 10 years then were sent to a nice school by Mr. Dalton. He also wants to help Bigger. Mr. Dalton thinks if he offers the Blacks good jobs and let them receive the education, they can live better.
Jan thinks different. He thinks that the Blacks can be a part of the American society. He wants to touch Bigger. He thinks that way can make the Blacks and the Whites feel more equal. Jan also call Bigger by his first name to show his kindness to the Blacks though it will anger most white people.
Their common ground is that they do not even come close to an understanding of the fear and hopelessness that the Blacks have every day.
3. How is really fear to blame for the murder of Mary (this is a comprehensive question, be thoughtful and think of all aspects of fear that lead to the murder of Mary)?
Bigger is not able to analyze his behavior because what he feels is different from what society tells him he should do. Bigger knows that his skin color is trapping him in a situation which makes him feel not equal. Bigger actually doesn’t want to kill Mary. He puts the pillow over Mary's face and accidently kills her just because he doesn’t want Mrs. Dalton to notice that Bigger is still with Mary until midnight. Bigger knows that he has already done something against the rules – the separation between black men and white women. Bigger kissed Mary before, so he felt guilty. Bigger murders Mary because of the fear and shame that the Whites caused him. This fear may also be the result of the inequalities between the Blacks and the Whites.
-Shelley
Chisom Oraedu (post 2):
ReplyDelete1. Compare and contrast Bigger's attitude toward the world around him and Mrs. Thomas's.
Bigger sees the world with more of an open mind than his mother. He does not believe that any door is barred from him, even though he is black. Bigger’s friends do not understand this, and they question it. When he ponders over why he is not allowed to do the things that whites can, Gus says, “’Aw, for Chrissakes! There ain’t nothing you can do about it. How come you want to worry yourself? You black and they make the laws….’” (Wright 20). Bigger’s friends accept the oppression, but Bigger refuses to. He dreams of being a pilot and being able to fly freely in the sky. When he sees a plane in the air, he imagines himself in the pilot seat: “’I could fly a plane if I had a chance’” (Wright 17). All he hopes for is a chance to fulfill his hopes and dreams. Bigger’s attitude toward the world is one of optimism. This opposes the world outlook of his mother. Mrs. Thomas, like Bigger’s friends, succumbs to the oppression of the white people. She does not even consider the possibility that her life will ever improve and just tries to live under the conditions that she has. Although they live in a squalid home with a rent that is too high, she does not oppose it or even try to change it for the better. She accepts it and tries to make the best of what she has. She urges Bigger to get a job so that he can help support the family: “You going to take the job, ain’t you, Bigger…You know, Bigger, if you don’t take that job the relief’ll cut us off. We won’t have any food“ s(Wright 11). She is a single mother trying to survive in a harsh world. The death of Bigger’s father left him as the patriarchal head of the family, even though he is emotionally immature and inexperienced. Bigger reveals to Mr. Dalton, “’Where’s your father?’ ‘Dead’” (Wright 74). Mrs. Dalton tries to force Bigger into the role of his absent father, and he resents her for it: “...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” (Wright 12). She tries to force him into taking a job that he does not want. All that he wants to do is live his life the way that he wants to and to fulfill his dreams. But all that Mrs. Thomas cares about the family’s survival; she is willing to take whatever she can get. Bigger and Mrs. Thomas have contrasting attitudes toward the world.
Chisom Oraedu (post 2 cont.):
ReplyDelete2. Mr. Dalton believes Bigger when he says it was not his fault that he was sent to the reform school: “’Why did they send you to the reform school?’ ‘They said I was stealing! But I wasn’t… I was with some boys and the police picked us up’” (Wright 50). Mr. Dalton believes his story and hires Bigger for the chauffeur job because he supports the NAACP and previously donated to black schools. He does not support racism, so he gives Bigger a chance, unlike other whites, who would probably reject Bigger’s job application without a backward glance. Mr. Dalton also supports the blacks not only by offering them fair, good jobs but also by donating money to black schools: ‘You know, he does a lot for your people….Yes, the colored people. He gave over five million dollars to colored schools’” (Wright 56). Mr. Dalton is a good man who believes that through a proper education, blacks will have the chance to accomplish things in life, such as getting jobs, that never seemed possible before. A good education is the basis to a long and fruitful like in Mr. Dalton’s eyes, which is why he donated to black schools. Jan is like Mr. Dalton in the fact that he also respects black people and treats them fairly. He does not think that black people are bad. Even when Bigger was lying about Jan and saying that he was doing things that he was not, he still did not begrudge Bigger or judge him. Immediately, he thought that Mr. Dalton and Britten put Bigger up to it: “’Say, what is this! What’re you making this boy lie for...Say, Bigger, what’re they doing to you? Don’t be afraid. Speak up!’” (Wright 167). Jan never considers that Bigger is doing it of his own accord. He does not assume that Bigger, or any black, is bad and would do terrible things like lying or stealing. This shows that Jan holds a certain respect and fondness for black people, despite the general sense of hate towards them shown by other whites in society. Although Mr. Dalton and Jan share similar beliefs in regards to the treatment of black people in society, they still feel a sense of hostility toward each other. This is because Jan is a Communist. Mr. Dalton knows that Mary has been spending much time with Jan as of late and considers him a bad influence. Mrs. Dalton agrees with this when she states, “’And he said a man was with her?’ ‘It was that Jan, I think, Mrs. Dalton.’ ‘Jan?’ ‘Yes; the one who was with her in Florida.’ ‘She just won’t leave those awful people alone’” (Wright 124). Mr. and Mrs. Dalton know that Jan is a Communist and therefore do not like him. People frown upon them in society. When Mary ran away to Florida to be with Jan, this only amplified their dislike for him because they thought that he had convinced her to do it. Mr. and Mrs. Dalton know that Jan is a Communist when Mary runs away to Florida with him, so “shocked Mama and Papa Dalton summoned Mary home by wire from her winter vacation and denounced her Communist friend” (Wright 32). Mr. and Mrs. Dalton are right to think that Jan is a bad influence because he eventually impresses his Communist ideals on Mary, which was probably his goal from the start. She tells Jan, “’I’m coming out of school this spring and I’m going to join the Party!’” (Wright 76). Jan is “a well-known radical” (Wright 32), and he is not oblivious to the fact that Mr. Dalton does not like him. When he is brought in for questioning about Mary’s disappearance, he deliberately does not tell him that he was with Mary the night before because he knows that that would get Mary in trouble; her parents do not want her fraternizing with a Communist. Jan converses with Britten, “’Did you see her last night?’…‘No…All right. I saw her. So what? You know why I didn’t say so in the first place….Well, Mr. Dalton here doesn’t like Reds, as you call ‘em, and I didn’t want to get Miss Dalton in trouble’” (Wright 168). Jan understands that Mary will be in trouble If her parents find out that she was with him, so he tries to protect her. The hostility between Mr. Dalton and Jan causes an almost tangible tension.
Chisom Oraedu (post 2 cont.):
ReplyDelete3. How is really fear to blame for the murder of Mary (this is a comprehensive question, be thoughtful and think of all aspects of fear that lead to the murder of Mary)?
Bigger kills Mary because he is afraid of being caught violating the social taboos that are against blacks. In that society, it is forbidden for a black man to even consider being with a white woman. Often when they are, or even if they are not, they are accused of rape: “…if a Negro rebels against rule and taboo, he is lynched and the reason for the lynching is usually called ‘rape,’ that catchword which has garnered such vile connotations that it can raise a mob anywhere in the South pretty quickly…” (Wright 439). If he is caught kissing a white girl, he will surely be thrown in jail and killed. Bigger also recalls that many other blacks like himself who are accused of rape meet terrible fates. It happened to many black boys of the time: “Any Negro who has lived in the North or the South knows that times without number he has heard of some Negro boy being picked up on the streets and carted off to jail and charged with ‘rape’” (Wright 455). Bigger fears the whites and does not want to be caught violating the taboos. Because of this overbearing fear, Bigger kills Mary before she has the chance to reveal his presence in her bedroom. She is drunk and when Mrs. Dalton enters the room, she begins to make noise. He cannot take the risk of Mrs. Dalton hearing and discovering him there. For this reason, he smothers Mary with a pillow to stifle her mumblings. Bigger unwittingly kills her, but it does not make a difference. He knows that there is a possibility that he will be caught, which scares him: “…she was dead; she was white; she was a woman; he had killed her; he was black; he might be caught; he did not want to be caught; if he were they would kill him” (Wright 89). The entire reason that he kills Mary in the first place, although unintentionally, was to keep his fear of being caught from happening. But in the end, this fear may be realized after all, except he will not be caught kissing Mary; he will be caught as her murderer. All of these fears are the main cause behind Mary’s murder.
Chisom Oraedu (post 3):
ReplyDelete1. Compare and contrast Bigger's attitude toward the world around him and Mrs. Thomas's.
Bigger has just started his life. He is a young 20-year-old that is full of life and optimism toward the world. He does not see any opportunity barred from his grasp and aspires to hold noble occupations, such as that of a pilot. He refuses to settle for anything less than the best. When his mother essentially forces Bigger to take the job at Mr. Dalton’s house, he states, “…he felt that they were thinking of the job he was to get that evening and it made him angry; he felt that they tricked him into a cheap surrender” (Wright 12). Bigger feels that it would be better to take the job that is right for him rather than for someone else. This contrasts Mrs. Thomas’s view toward the world. She feels that it is more important to survive and take what she can get, which is why she does not understand when Bigger does not except the Dalton job right away. She exclaims at him, “Even when the relief offers you a job you won’t take it till they threaten to cut off your food and starve you!“ (Wright 9). She does not see that Bigger is different from her in the sense that he has goals and ideals that he is not willing to sacrifice for anyone. Mrs. Thomas may have ended up idealistic like Bigger if she as not forced to raise three children on her own. After the death of her husband, she has to pull through the racist times in which they live and make the best of a difficult situation. She urges Bigger to go out and get a job and to make something of himself: “’And mark my word, some of these days you going to set down and cry. Some of these days you going to wish you had made something out of yourself, instead of just a tramp. But it’ll be too late then” (Wright 9). Mrs. Thomas knows that in order to survive, Bigger must get a job to provide money for his family. Bigger’s refusal to accept a second-rate job angers her. She considers Bigger a selfish son who should be more willing to aid his family. Mrs. Thomas carries a harsh and realistic view toward the racist world around her, while Bigger sees it with more optimism.
Chisom Oraedu (post 3 cont.):
ReplyDelete2. Mr. Dalton and Jan Erlone both profess to be friendly towards African Americans, yet they are hostile to each other. Compare and contrast their attitudes towards African Americans and explain their mutual hostility?
They are hostile toward each other because Jan is a Communist. He believes that there should not be a hug disparity between the Daltons and the Thomases. There must be an equality. He feels for this to come about that there needs to be a revolution. He wants the government to be overthrown. He is befriending blacks because he feels that there should be pure equality and also because he has an agenda to get their support for the revolution. Jan’s notions are idealistic and unrealistic. One cannot overthrow the government and put in a new system. If you have enough people, though, it may be possible. But even with a bunch of people, it would still be pretty unrealistic, but it is possible. Jan has a utopian, idealistic notion of how the world should be and the government should be based on Communist principles. He feels that it will only happen if he befriends blacks and gets their support for the revolution. Mr. Dalton does not have the same beliefs as Jan. When Bigger comes to the interview, Mr. Dalton treats Bigger well by giving him the benefit of the doubt when he says that he does not rob the store. He treats him as an equal. Bigger feels that white people treat black people like they are better than them, but Mr. Dalton does not do that. It makes Bigger uncomfortable. Mr. Dalton treats them like equals because his wife does, too. He is not racist; many other whites in society are racist, though, and treat blacks badly. He feels guilty and wants to make up for his brethren’s injustices by being nice to blacks. He gives Bigger extra money, and dinner, and a place to stay: “’The pay calls for $20 a week, but I’m going to give you $25…Give him something to eat, and show him where he’s to sleep and where the car is’” (Wright 50-53). He treats Bigger very well upon meeting him; even though he knows nothing about Bigger, he is willing to be very gracious and giving. This is not the first time that Mr. Dalton has employed blacks: “’...The last colored man who worked for us stayed ten year…His name was Green. He was a good man, too’” (Wright 55). Mr. Dalton treats the blacks that work for him so well because he treats his servants like family. Peggy is Irish, not black. They treat their servants, no matter what race, as equals. They are people of good beliefs and honestly believe that all people are equal, even though they are millionaires. They have good morals. Jan treats him like an equal because he wants a support for his movement. He has an agenda. There is hostility between Mr. Dalton and Jan because they have different reasons behind their treatment of blacks. Jan’s goals are not realistic, but Mr. Dalton’s are. He’s already making a difference by treating Bigger as an equal. There is hostility because Jan is dating Mr. Dalton’s daughter. He acknowledges that Mary is her own person, though, and does not keep her from seeing Jan because he respects her opinions and her wishes. Although he respects Mary’s decision and does not keep her from seeing Jan, Mr. Dalton still dislikes him: “’That guy who was kissing old man Dalton’s daughter was a Communist and her folks didn’t like it’ ‘Rich people don’t like Communists’” (Wright 33). Mr. Dalton’s hostility toward Jan is evident, and it is equally reciprocated by Jan.
Chisom Oraedu (post 3 cont.):
ReplyDelete3. How is really fear to blame for the murder of Mary (this is a comprehensive question, be thoughtful and think of all aspects of fear that lead to the murder of Mary)?
Fear is the murderer in this situation because Bigger is afraid of what might happen to him if he gets caught with Mary and he also fears losing his job. He is also afraid of the racism, the white oppressor, the Daltons’ response to his kissing Mary, and the consequences of being caught. He is not comfortable yet with his newly acquired equality with the white people, which is why he assumes that the Daltons will get mad if they see him in Mary’s room. Because of this discomfort with himself and the fear of being caught, he smothers Mary to stifle her from making any noise. If Mr. or Mrs. Dalton caught Bigger in Mary’s room to help her because she is drunk, they would not get him in trouble. They would rationalize that he was only helping their daughter get to bed. But Bigger still tries to keep Mary quiet because he is not used to white people accepting blacks and not getting them in trouble every chance that they get. When Mrs. Dalton walked into the room, many spasms of fear overtook him and he became frantic in his quest to remain undetected: “… a hysterical terror seized him, as though he were falling from a great height in a dream…he bent over, his fist clenched in fear…He waited tensely, afraid to move for fear of bumping into something in the dark and betraying his presence…He wanted to move from the bed but was afraid he would stumble over something and Mrs. Dalton would hear him…Frenzy dominated him” (Wright 85). In the brief seconds when Mrs. Dalton first enters the room, many fears seize Bigger. This just shows that fear was the main culprit behind her murder. Had Bigger not been seized by these irrational fears, he could have easily escaped from the situation without killing Mary. But his fear of being caught, among many others, overtook him and caused him to hold the pillow down over Mary’s face with inhuman force. After Mrs. Dalton left, he did not even realize that he had killed her. His state of panic made her frantic writhing and clawing undetected by him. His mind was only focused on keeping his fears from coming true. After he realized that he had killed her, more fears seized him: “She’s dead…She was dead and he had killed her. He was a murderer, a Negro murderer, a black murderer. He had killed a white woman. He had to get away from here” (Wright 87). Bigger realized the terrible consequences of what he had done. His fear had subsided enough at that point to let him realize that she was dead and that he was in trouble. If it were not for Bigger’s many fears, Mary would not have been killed.
Compare and contrast Bigger’s attitude toward the world around him and Mrs. Tomas’s?
ReplyDeleteI think that Bigger’s mother’s attitude if more realistic. I think that her conservative mind point has made her see everything as take what you can get and you can only being able to get the bare minimum. She doesn’t strive to do great things and to accomplish goal. This attitude contrast with Bigger’s attitude because Bigger, to me, is a romantic and although he doesn’t put an effort into it, he wants to achieve goals that the society doesn’t see him accomplishing. He has a liberal state of mind and that is what gives him the motivation to become a pilot. In the story bigger shows how much he wants to be a pilot when he says “ God, I’d like to fly up there in that sky” his dream is to become a pilot and that’s what he desperately wants to be but someone like his mother won’t have a motivation because she believes you can only the bare minimum.
their attitude toward african american is welcoming. they don't see them as being black but they see them as equals. but even though that share these good morald they don't agree on their type of government. Jan believes in communism but mr. Dalton doesn't. this disagreement makes them have a sort fo on going argument. so i think that they both are good people but they just don't agree on that which makes them have a hostile attitude toward each other.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckBvNE0qc9Y
this video is really good talking about this question. this video shows how scared bigger was when he was killing Mary and how fear took control over him which made him commit a deed that he tried so hard to hold back." he was not crying but his lips were trembling and his chest was heaving." this quote shows how scared Bigger was while he was killing mary.
the last post if from deidre
ReplyDeletei agree with chisom's post from november 30. i think Bigger is so afraid that he will get caught that he won't just trust that Mr.Dalton nd he lets his fear control his actions. a good place where you can see Bigger's fear is when he said " bigger held his breath. Mary mumbled again; he bent over her, his fists clenched in fear. he knew that Mrs. Dalton could not see him; but he knew that if Mary spoke she would com to he side of the bed and discover hij, touch him. he waited tensely, afraid to move for fear of dumping into something in the dark and betraying his presence."this quotes says that Bigger was scared during his entire moments with Mary and he was afraid hat he was going to get caught. but he let his fear take over and lead him to his downfall. so i agree with your answer fear made him kill Mary because he was afraid that he would get caught.
ReplyDeletedeidre
with chrisom's first response i disagree what she said about how Bigger's mother doesn't have the opportunity to reach her potential. i think she does have the opportunity to do great things she just doesn't want to go out and get it. i think the only thing that is holding her back to getting her family out of their situation is herself. she is so protecive in the things that she does, not taking any risk that this makes her not want to go out into the world and do things that will provide for her family. so this is contrasting with Bigger's attitude because he wants to do better. although he may not always show it i think that bigger wants to help his family and want to do greatness so that he can show others that he can do good.
ReplyDeletethat last post is deidre
ReplyDelete