The protagonist, Bigger Thomas, is a mean, vulgar bully who the reader typically finds unlikable. However, Wright presents the tone of the story as mostly sympathetic to Bigger’s plight, absorbed with his life.

Bigger is limited by the fact that he has only completed the eighth grade, and by the racist real estate practices that force him to live in poverty. Furthermore, he is subjected to endless bombardment from a popular culture that portrays whites as sophisticated and blacks as either subservient or savage.

Bigger hates his family because of their poverty and suffering and because he feels there is nothing he can do to help them. If he does not, he will lose his relief money and the family will starve. Resentment builds in Bigger, as he feels that his family is tricking him into giving up.

Bigger’s little sister, Vera, lives with the same kind of fear and shame that Bigger suffers.

Reverend Hammond

What is the real crime Bigger thinks he committed? Being a black man. Introduce him to a lawyer friend from the Labor Defense Office. He essentially apologizes for being white.

Buckley goes on to manipulate Bigger into a confession by showing him all the demonstrators who have gathered in hopes that Bigger will be executed. Buckley says, ‘Those people would like to lynch you. ‘ Bigger is in over his head and doesn’t know who to trust.

Bigger notices he still has his gun tucked inside his shirt, and he decides to take it with him to meet Mr. Dalton because it makes him feel safer. Dalton asks about Bigger’s time in reform school and says he wants to give Bigger a second chance.

Bigger’s next victim is his friend, Gus. Although Bigger doesn’t kill Gus, he picks a fight with him because of how he’s feeling about going through with their planned robbery of a white business owner. So, during their argument, Bigger thinks of violent ways to deal with him.

Bigger was afraid of robbing a white man and he knew that Gus was afraid, too. Blum’s store was small and Blum was alone, but Bigger could not think of robbing him without being flanked by his three pals. But even with his pals he was afraid.

The two controlling emotions in Bigger’s life are anger and fear.

Mr. Dalton is the owner of the real estate company that owns the building in which Bigger and his family live. In a hallway, they pass Mrs. Dalton, whose face and hair are so white she seems like a ghost to Bigger.

Mary Dalton