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The central event in the novel is the murder of Mary Dalton, a white woman. Ironically, whites are more infuriated by the idea that Bigger presumably raped her than the fact that he killed her. But he did not rape her. The woman he did rape and murder —his girlfriend Bessie Mears—is forgotten by white courts and white society. With this stark contrast, Wright suggests the great racial chasm that exists between blacks and whites. It is the image of Mary in a newsreel that inspired Bigger to take the job so that he might be closer to whites. He decides that by proximity he might learn how they make all their money. The film encourages him to pursue the American dream even though he is already excluded from it. The theme of naturalism—how a character’s environment influences the character and his or her actions—allowed Wright to create an explanation for the economic and social condition of African Americans. In other words, Wright sought to demonstrate the "making" of Bigger. In doing so, he unveiled how a black individual’s choice to pursue the ideals of freedom within American society (represented in the newsreel featuring Mary Dalton) leads him to destruction. Wright’s theory of naturalism is often seen as an early form of existentialism, but it had this important difference— existentialism presents a character who realizes that only his choices give his life meaning. Naturalism posits that a character is formed and makes choices in response to the environment in which he lives. The theme of naturalism is further strengthened by Wright’s use of irony throughout the novel. An example is in the very title of the work, Native Son. Bigger longs to live the American dream. Yet when he admits his desires, someone is always on hand, like Gus, to remind him of the impossibility of doing so. Bigger cannot possibly reconcile his exclusion from the dream and his longing to be a "native son." Native Son is a violent novel that includes a rape, two murders, fights, and a manhunt. There are also allusions to Bigger’s thoughts of violence: "He felt suddenly that he wanted something in his hand, something solid and heavy: his gun, a knife, a brick." Such pervasive violence has disturbed many readers. Wright conveyed, in "How Bigger was Born," his belief that placing a group of oppressed people in a savage environment, like the ghetto, is an invitation for more Bigger Thomases. Wright prophesied that if society and government fail to address the horrendous living conditions of black Americans, then society would be responsible for the resulting violence.
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