One of the main events of Book Two in Richard Wright’s Native Son is Bigger tragically killing Mary on his first night of work at the Daltons. Throughout the book, we as readers get a great insight into what is going on in Bigger’s head, how he truly feels about killing Mary, and how he feels about the consequences he may face in the world as a result of that. One of the main themes that ran through Bigger’s thoughts, that I noticed, was an aspect of control or possession that Bigger felt after he killed Mary which he had not really expressed or felt prior. Before Bigger killed Mary, he often communicated that he did not have much control in his world, control over his identity as a Black man, control over his ability to get a job and succeed, control over the situation when Mary and Jan were in the car with him, and more. However, after killing Mary, Bigger makes a huge change. He expressed how suffocating Mary, throwing her in the furnace, and knowing all of this “was something that was all his own, and it was the first time in his life he had had anything that others could not take from him” (Wright 105). It was very interesting, but more importantly concerning to see how Bigger felt better knowing that he had something of that magnitude to hold over people. He felt as though the murder “had created a new life for himself” and that he finally had possession over something of great importance to many people (Wright 105).
Bigger never really had possession or control over something like this or any property that was exclusively for him before, except for the knowledge and truth about Mary. Having that control over others gave Bigger a lot of confidence in himself and he became fearless. This is all shown for example when Bigger sees Peggy with the letter, when he tells Mr. Dalton and Britten his story about what happened that night, and even when the men from the news question Bigger at the Dalton’s home. Bigger felt as though he is this big mastermind behind the truth about Mary and finally has control over these people who were once so intimidating him. Having control over them with his knowledge makes Bigger feel equal to them which makes him feel better about himself. Because Bigger knew the truth, he was able to control the narrative and conceal the truth about Mary being “kidnapped”. He no longer feared the white people in the same way he once did and even began acting out more fearlessly than he previously did. He raped and murdered Bessie, pointed his gun at Jan, and more; all things that he probably would not have done if it were not for the “confidence” tragically killing Mary gave him.
When reading this on a surface level, Bigger’s newly acquired confidence, which is only achieved as a result of him killing Mary, seems quite chilling and portrays Bigger in an even more negative manner. However, when looking at it more in depth from a different perspective, I thought that it was sad that Bigger even had to do such a thing for him to feel worthy of attention or to feel something in the world. Although Bigger was indeed responsible for his own actions, I can’t help but wonder how much society and the circumstances surrounding Bigger influenced his fate.
It’d be interesting to get your thoughts on Bigger’s agency after book three, especially given the argument by Max and the portrayal of Bigger’s circumstances. I do agree that being denied so many avenues of agency caused Bigger to lash out violently multiple times, but his actions are still undoubtedly extreme and his characterization is a bleak one. Finally, Bigger pointed his gun at Jan because Jan was “making” him feel shame. I think Bigger’s lashing out came from a lack of control over how he felt rather than a control over other people.
I also think that it’s important to consider how Bigger’s lack of possession control manifests through violence. I am also curious as to how Bigger’s environment allowed him to feel so out of control of his life to the point where he felt the need to murder Mary and Bessie. As we discussed in class, Bigger’s lack of agency in his own home probably catalyzed his insecurities. His mother constantly berates him in the beginning of the novel and he possesses so sense of connection to his brother and sister. He also feels as though he isn’t allowed to do anything he wants because he is not white. Bigger was extremely troubled from the beginning of the novel with no positive influences in his life. No one was ever kind until he met the Dalton’s and was confused by everything they did, especially Mary. With his constant backwards thinking it’s no wonder he gained confidence from committing murder instead of feeling remorse. Ultimately, the power he felt he gained from taking Mary’s life lead him to lose his.