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Flashcards in Native Son Deck (45)
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1
Q

Describe Bigger’s relationship with his family.

A

He is ashamed and resentful when he is with them. He is ashamed that they have nothing
and he is powerless to help them, and he is resentful that they look to him for support.

2
Q

What does Bigger mean when he says, “Half the time I feel like I’m on the outside of the world peeping in through a knot-hole in the fence. . .”?

A

He means that although he lives in the world, somehow he is not a part of it at all. The
world is beyond his grasp as well as his understanding. He feels a stranger and an alien in
it.

3
Q

Why do you think Wright included the scene with the sky-writing airplane?

A

He uses it to illustrate how the white man’s world is unattainable to Bigger. Bigger sees
the plane and comments that he would like to learn to fly, but that even the chance to try
is denied him. The distant plane represents the distance between Bigger and the world of
a decent job, home and life.

4
Q

What is Bigger saying when he tells Gus that white folks live “Right down here in my
stomach”?

A

He is describing the ache and frustration bottled up inside of him from a life of being told
where to live and what to do. He has, in effect, swallowed his hate and anger and it rages
inside him.

5
Q

What are the two controlling emotions in Bigger’s life?

A

“These were the rhythms of his life: indifference and violence . . . . moments of silence
and moments of anger . . . .”

6
Q

Who is going to rob Blum’s store?

A

Bigger, Gus, Jack and G.H. plan to rob it.

7
Q

Why isn’t the robbery carried out?

A

Bigger physically attacks Gus when Gus arrives late at Doc’s. He accuses Gus of being so
late that it is too late to carry out the robbery. Actually, Bigger doesn’t want to rob the
store anymore, so the fight with Gus is a good way to delay and to vent his frustration
caused by his own feelings of fear.

8
Q

How do Jack and G.H. react to Bigger’s attack on Gus?

A

Initially they tell Bigger to leave Gus alone, but because they are frightened of his temper
they do not strongly insist. They eventually begin to laugh and enjoy the spectacle when
they realize that Bigger has made his point and will let Gus go.

9
Q

What causes Bigger to lose his temper again?

A

Gus throws a pool ball, hitting Bigger in the wrist. Bigger lunges after Gus but slips on a
cue stick left on the floor. Jack and G.H. laugh at this turn in events, and Bigger’s rage
and embarrassment boil over.

10
Q

Do Jan and Mary see Bigger as a man?

A

No, they both believe in equality and freedom for all people, but they don’t look at Bigger
as an individual man; to them he is a Negro man, not just a man. Their treatment of
Bigger, while superficially friendly, is actually very unkind. they can see that Bigger is
uneasy around them, and yet they force him to stay in the front seat between them and to
eat with them. They cannot see that Bigger is trapped by their desire to treat him nice just
as he is trapped by other white people’s desire to abuse him.

11
Q

Why can’t Bigger speak to Mrs. Dalton when she enters Mary’s room?

A

He is terrified. He is in a rich, white girl’s bedroom, and she is drunk. Bigger knows he
could never explain the situation, that he would most likely be accused of rape, at least.
He knows that the punishment for raping a white woman is death.

12
Q

How and why does Bigger kill Mary? What does he do with the body? Why?

A

He puts the pillow over her face in an effort to keep her quiet so Mrs. Dalton will go
away and not discover him. However, he has the pillow there for quite some time, and
Mary suffocates. He cannot leave the body as evidence, so he puts it in the trunk, carries
it to the furnace room, and puts it into the furnace.

13
Q

How does Bigger feel after killing Mary?

A

He is still scared because now he is really in trouble with the white man’s world, but he
also feels a kind of pride and a direction for his life, for the first time in his life.

14
Q

Why can Bigger fall asleep so easily after committing such horrible acts?

A

He is totally exhausted, and although he realizes the acts were horrible, he feels a sense
of relief that his life has a direction and that some of his violent frustrations have been
vented.

15
Q

Why is Bigger no longer fearful in the presence of Gus, Jack and G.H.?

A

Bigger no longer fears them because the murder of Mary has given him a sense of pride.
They were afraid to rob a white man, but he has killed a white girl. For the first time in
his life, Bigger actually feels “bigger” and in control. Notice how he doles out the little
gifts of cigarettes and money to the gang, and also notice that they show him a respect
not born of fearing his temper but of being almost in awe of his new purpose and
command.

16
Q

To what is Wright referring when he writes, “. . . they were a sort of a great natural force, like
a stormy sky looming overhead, or like a deep swirling river stretching suddenly at one’s feet
in the dark”?

A

He is describing how black people see white people less as people and more like a great
natural force as uncontrollable as the weather.

17
Q

Who is Bessie?

A

She is Bigger’s girlfriend.

18
Q

How does Bigger respond to Britten’s interrogation?

A

For the first time in his life, Bigger reacts towards a white man by thinking instead of
fearing. Notice in response to Britten’s questions Bigger does not feel the burning heat of
fear but remains calm and thoughtful. Bigger sticks to his story, and Britten comes away
more interested in Jan, just as Bigger wants him to be.

19
Q

Why does Bigger threaten Jan with a gun?

A

Jan is confused and wants Bigger to talk to him, but Bigger is overwhelmed with guilt
because he has lied about Jan (someone who has tried to be nice to him). Not wanting to
face Jan’s questions and feeling guilty, Bigger reacts by threatening Jan with a gun.

20
Q

What is Bigger’s plan to get money from Mr. Dalton?

A

He is going to send a ransom note to the Daltons demanding $10,000. He will sign the
note “Red” to make the Daltons think their daughter was kidnapped by the communists.

21
Q

How is the ransom money to be delivered?

A

It is to be thrown from a moving car onto the sidewalk. Bessie will be watching from a
deserted building and will pick up the money when the car has disappeared

22
Q

Why does Britten question Peggy?

A

He is trying to find out if Bigger has any mannerisms which would suggest he might be a
part of the communist party.

23
Q

Why are some of Britten’s questions to Peggy concerning Bigger a bit ridiculous?

A

The political stereotypes Britten describes (such as waving hands) are as stupid as the
racial stereotypes common at the time. Jan is a communist, yet he certainly wouldn’t fit
Britten’s descriptions.

24
Q

What is Bigger’s downfall?

A

The ashes in the furnace are. If Bigger had cleaned the ashes out when he first tried to, he
would probably have gotten away with the crime.

25
Q

Why had Bigger not cleaned the furnace before?

A

Every time he tried to shake down the ashes or thought about cleaning them out of the
furnace, he visualized Mary’s bloody, severed head and became fearful again.`

26
Q

Why does Bigger kill Bessie?

A

She is a threat to him. He could never escape with her because she is too upset and afraid. On the other hand, if he leaves her behind, she will tell the police everything. He sees no other course of action than to kill her.

27
Q

How does Bigger rationalize to himself that Mary and Bessie were responsible for their own
deaths?

A

He thinks both girls should have left him alone. Mary made him promise to keep her secret and she got drunk, so he had to be the one to take her upstairs. Bessie kept nagging
him to tell her what was wrong, making him tell her more than she should have known. They both forced him into a position where he had to kill them, he thought.

28
Q

How do the men finally capture Bigger?

A

They corner him on a water tower and turn the fire hose on him, forcing him to surrender.

29
Q

Who is Bigger’s first visitor?

A

Reverand Hammond, the mom’s reverand

30
Q

Why does Bigger reject the pleas of Rev. Hammond?

A

Bigger rejects the pleas because he thinks he’s already dead. He has no place for faith. He feels he’s going to die anyways.

31
Q

How does Bigger view Jan during the visit at the inquest?

A

Bigger views Jan- At first he’s afraid and ashamed to see Jan, but then Jan tells him he wants to help him

32
Q

How does Mr. Dalton show that his “heart is not bitter” towards Negro people?

A

Mr Dalton shows his heart is no bitter towards negro people. Mr. Dalton makes the ping pong table donation to the Y. He says he feels no hate for Bigger, only remorse and doesn’t know what he did to cause Bigger to kill
his daughter.

33
Q

Why do the ping-pong tables upset Max?

A

Max is upset because the ping-pong tables don’t really help the poor
blacks. He is still charging them high rent. They need things like
food(important stuff).

34
Q

Why does the presence of Bigger’s family and friends make him feel ashamed?

A

He realizes that his actions have repurcussions. His sister can’t go to
school because of mockery. People don’t want to hire the mother of a
murderer

35
Q

Why does Bigger think, “They ought to be glad!”?

A

He thinks that instead of them being sad, they should be happy that he
showed it to the white man.

36
Q

Why does Buckley try to get Bigger to admit that Jan was involved?

A

Because he hates communists. He wanted to kill 2 birds with one
stone. Wants to bring the communists down and tie them to this horrible
crime.

37
Q

How does Buckley manipulate Bigger?

A

Buckley manipulates Bigger. He gets Bigger to admit to everything
that’s going on. Buckley brings Bigger to the window and shows him the
angry mob and the national guard protecting them. He says he’s going to
get charged for other crimes in the black belt. Bigger says he’d rather get
charged for just the 2 he’s killed.

38
Q

Why is Bessie’s body put on exhibition at the inquest?

A

They used her body as just evidence. Just a slab of meat to show.
Wasn’t really though of as a person(her humanity or dignity wasn’t even
acknowledged)

39
Q

Where do the police and reporters take Bigger after the inquest? Why?

A

They take Bigger back to the crime scene and want to force him to
recreate the crime. This would get the people agitated to see his pictures
with a pillow in her room and stuff like that.

40
Q

Does Max really understand Bigger’s feelings?

A

He doesn’t really understand him, even a little bit disgusted.

41
Q

How does Bigger feel after the conversation with Max?

A

Bigger(at first was hopeful for at least life in prison) becomes fearful
after speaking to Max because it becomes evident that he’s going to die.

42
Q

Why does Bigger become fearful after speaking to Max?

A

He is fearful of dying

43
Q

What had Bigger felt and caught a glimpse of for the first time in his life?

A

Hope. Hope that he could probably live, but now it’s gone.

44
Q

For what does Max plead?

A

He asks the government for life in prison,

to spare his life. He says no

45
Q

Does Max ever understand Bigger?

A

Max doesn’t understand Bigger. Only Jan really does. He says to tell
Jan he said Hi and Thank You. Jan was really the only person that
understood Bigger and was genuine with him.