Humanity in a World in Which one Is Less Than Human

Humanity in a World in Which One is Less Than Human

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” In Richard Wright’s Native Son, the concept of humanity is explored through the mistakes Bigger Thomas makes throughout Wright’s work. Bigger begins to conceptualize his humanity through his actions and the effect that society has had on his state. Bigger begins to realize his humanity after accidentally murdering Mary Dalton, for it as at this point that begin begins to “see” himself as a human capable of his own decisions. As the novel nears closer to the end, Bigger begins to realize that his humanity and his life are far beyond that simple act, and he discovers the depth to which he is trapped in an oppressive society and the limitations this has posed for his development. In comparison to his initial assumption that he is free to do as he wishes after the murder, his conceptualization of his humanity at later points in the novel is far more developed, as well as more emotionally complex.

A majority of Bigger’s life has been spent in fear and hatred of whites due to the negative opinions they have about him and those of his kind. Throughout the novel, Bigger believes a majority of the people around him are blind to his capabilities and his motivations. Bigger views what he has done not as a crime, but as an act of liberation from the fear and shame that he has continuously felt at the hand of whites. This fear and shame was magnified in the presence of Mr. Dalton when he first met him, as he felt as if he was continuously being judged by his experiences and his skin color. After Bigger accidentally murdered Mary Dalton, he feels little guilt for what he has done. In reality, Bigger feels that his life actually has a semblance of meaning after the deed. The murder is the first act in terms of which he feels that he has any agency. However, Mary’s death in itself is not accidental. Bigger says, “Though he had killed by accident, not once did he feel the need to himself that it had be an accident… and in a certain sense he knew that the girl’s death had not been accidental.” (Wright, 106) Bigger murders Mary, yet continues to claim that it was an accident in order to avoid claiming responsibility, and chooses to ignore his agency. However, after the incident with Mary Dalton, when Bigger interacted with Mr. Dalton and Mr. Britten, Bigger recognized that there was more depth to himself and the actions he chooses. Bigger begins to recognize that he can choose how to respond, and that the opinions that they have of his race and intelligence are not the entirety of his being. He realizes that he is capable of far more than they expect, and uses this to trick and delude them. His conceptualization of his humanity in that sense is one of a being that exists outside of his body. As such, Bigger is in acting in bad faith, since he sees himself only in terms of his freedom and fails to fully grasp and reconcile himself to his facticity.