Essay On Biggers

Long ago, our economy, government, families, and individuals joined together to create the greatest weapon yet, Biggers. What are “biggers”? Biggers have been around since the beginning of time, they are sinful creatures like yourself that have been outcast from society because their souls have been labeled “unredeemable”. Biggers are native creatures of the United States, but their species can be found scattered around the globe. The term “biggers” was made popular by Richard Wright, author of the novel, Native Son. In the novel, the main character, a young troubled African American boy, named Bigger, was to live a life that was predetermined for him: to die like a rat. Wright claims that Bigger’ predetermined murderous life could be the

livelihood of all African Americans, the livelihood of “biggers”.
One of the themes of Native Son was the ideology of “ biggers” being born from society. Zora Neale Hurston also understood the dynamic between “biggers” and society. She wrote about a different creator of “biggers” in her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. By analyzing Native Son and Their Eyes Were Watching God, the different political systems presented indicated that “biggers” can exist in either society of the United States: one that follows a Marxist structure, one influenced by a capitalist democracy, or one that is self-governed by black people.
Communism
Wright flatters the idea of the United States being a communist nation with no racial problems, but quickly dismissed this naive fantasy and demonstrated in Native Son that “biggers” would be produced even in a Communist country.

Wright testifies that the principles of Karl Marx seem perfect on paper; yes, it would be ideal if everyone were to be treated equally, but even this supposedly “perfect” society is flawed.
Wright’ communist characters in his novel were the fuel that assisted in creating “biggers”. Mary and Jan were friendly, but Bigger did not interpret their behavior that way. Bigger felt that Jan’s friendliness was a joke, “This white man, having helped to put [me] down, having helped to deform [me], helped [me] up now to look at [me] and be amused” (67). Bigger was very uncomfortable around Jan and Mary and may have had these thoughts: How can Jan be a friend? How can I trust a white man? How can Jan expect me to be open with him, when he has the face of my enemy? How do I respond to a communist? Bigger was very fearful of Jan because he was a communist. Bigger remembered seeing many cartoons of communists with flaming torches in their hands, trying to commit murder or set things on fire (66), but those were the images that the media portrayed. Jan was different from the illustration, he was a communist with a

plan.
Jan had the idea of joining together the communist and African Americans forces to limit the number of “biggers” in society. But, an obstacle that blinded his vision was the plagued hearts of the black community. Communism cannot be the answer to the black people prayer , until “biggers” are prevented from being punished for something not within their control. Jan began thinking, “If I killed, this thing would go on and on and never stop. I said, I’m going to help that guy, if he lets me” (288).
Wright understood that communism was not the savior of “biggers” because the history of the United States is a complex one, one built on stolen land and the blood of the Africans. Instead of flattering his country capitalistic democracy, Wright immediately explains that “biggers” are homegrown from the United States. The way Capitalism works, is that some people haves to be the “haves” while others are the “haves- not”. Wanting social equality in a capitalistic society is optimistic, but cannot be achieved. Wright understood that the blacks in the United States were at mercy under the blade of capitalism.
Capitalistic Democracy
Capitalism, along with racism has helped confined blacks into a particular role in society; the laborers of the United States. Bigger explains how society had drawn a line and told the blacks to stay on their side of the line, “they don't care if there’s no bread over on your side; they’ll kill you before you die” (351). The line was kryptonite to most “biggers” because they did not dare to cross it, aware that death was their punishment. The line drawn was reinforced with the capitalistic democracy of the United States, keeping Bigger paralyzed in his current oppressed state, “in a rat-infested room in which four people ate and slept” (326). But fear moved Bigger’ paralyzed body and for the first time, he saw the line as a gift that awakened his animalistic instincts for survival.
When Bigger was on trial for murder, his lawyer, Max defended him, “He was living, only as he knew how, and what we have forced him to live… It was an act of [society’s] creation” (400). Capitalism democracy is a paradox and Max is convinced that this political institute has helped to create “biggers”, “Multiply Bigger Thomas twelve million times.. they are not simply twelve million people; in reality they are captive within this nation, devoid of political, social, economic, and property rights” (397). Wright argues that Biggers are created because the capitalistic democracy goes by unchecked by the government.
Wealthy Mr. Dalton from Native Son, believes that “Negroes are happier when they're together”(327), but Hurson dismissed this argument in her novel, Their Eyes were watching God.
Self-Governed
Hurston shifts the blame away from the white dominant society in the United States and explains that black people can manufacture “biggers” too. Hurston depicts Jody Starks as one of the creators of “biggers” by having his character start a snowball effect that transformed the people in the community to feel resentful and inferior. Starks was marginalizing his own community, and his home is one of the snowflakes that contributed to the avalanche of “biggers”. “The rest of the town looked like servant's quarters surrounding the big house” (47). The home Starks had built for himself, was a southern plantation house. Starks did not embark and engage with his fellow community, shepherding his town from a distance in his “great big house”.
Hurston explains that even a autonomous black community can make “biggers” because because they are an exact copy. Starks was aware of his intentional duplication of the white society, “he brought a desk like Mr. Hill or Mr. Galloway over in Maitland” (47). Starks followed the white people materialistic style in order to depict himself as in sync with the dominant culture. Starks’ livelihood made the community feel taken advantage of, “like things had been kept from them” (48). The town people responded just how Bigger would have, “it was bad enough for white people, but when one of your own color could be so different it put you on a wonder” (48). Bigger had felt the same way when Black leaders hated him, because it make it hard for them to get along with white folks (Native Son 357). Stark's behavior in the novel, Their Eyes were Watching God helped create the people of Eatonville into “biggers”, jealous “biggers” that disliked it when others “biggers” succeeded.
Trying to prevent a Bigger from being produced is nearly impossible in any political system in the United States. Wright and Hurston provided examples of Biggers being created in a communist nation, a capitalistic democracy, and a self governed black community. One of the solutions to this crisis is Grassroots and Structural justice to prevent Biggers from occurring.