Keyword Guide · book-summary
The first part of Richard Wright’s 'Native Son,' titled 'Fear,' introduces readers to the claustrophobic world of Bigger Thomas in 1930s Chicago. This section establishes the systemic pressures and psychological terror that drive the protagonist toward a tragic turning point.
The story opens in a one-room apartment where Bigger lives with his mother and siblings. An early scene involving a trapped rat serves as a powerful metaphor for Bigger’s own life—cornered by poverty and racial segregation. This environment creates a constant state of tension, as Bigger feels the weight of his family's expectations and the limitations placed upon him by society. His frustration often manifests as hostility toward those closest to him.
Bigger and his friends plan to rob a white-owned deli, a task that carries much higher stakes than their previous crimes against other Black residents. Bigger’s internal fear of challenging the white power structure causes him to lash out at his friend Gus. By provoking a fight and ruining the plan, Bigger avoids the robbery while masking his own terror behind a facade of aggression. This cycle of fear and violence is a central theme in Wright's exploration of the Black experience during this era.
Seeking a way out of his predicament, Bigger accepts a job as a chauffeur for the wealthy Dalton family. While the Daltons consider themselves philanthropists, Bigger feels deeply uncomfortable in their world of 'white' luxury. He is caught between the daughter, Mary Dalton, and her radical boyfriend, Jan Erlone, who try to bridge the racial gap in ways that only increase Bigger's confusion and sense of danger. He views their attempts at friendship as a threat to the rigid social boundaries he understands.
After a night of driving Mary and Jan around, Bigger is tasked with helping an intoxicated Mary to her bedroom. When Mary's blind mother enters the room, Bigger panics, fearing that being caught in a white woman's bedroom will lead to his certain death or lynching. In his frantic attempt to keep Mary quiet, he accidentally smothers her. To hide the evidence, he carries her body to the basement furnace, a desperate act that transitions the novel from a social study into a dark thriller.
The rat symbolizes Bigger himself—trapped, hunted, and forced to turn to violence when cornered by an oppressive environment.
It highlights the pervasive psychological state of the protagonist, who is constantly afraid of the consequences of his actions and the systemic forces that limit his life.
No, the death was accidental. It was a result of Bigger’s overwhelming panic and the fear of being discovered by Mary’s mother, which he believed would lead to his immediate destruction.
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