Bigger Thomas - victim of society, tragic hero or subhuman monster

Soon after its publication on March 1st 1940 it seemed to be clear that ''Native Son'' was the great breakthrough in the career of the young black author Richard Wright.

In his masterpiece, Richard Wright portrays the life of the 20 - year old protagonist Bigger Thomas who lives with his mother, sister and brother in a shabby, rat - infested one - bedroom apartment on the South Side of Chicago, known as the ''Black Belt''. His father died long ago and his mother s wage is meager. Consequently, Bigger had to leave school early and grows up poor and uneducated in the segregated society of the late 1930s . His childhood and adolescence have been filled with hostility and oppression and he seems to be destined to meet a bad fate...

Whereas most critics agreed on the fact that this novel was powerful enough to grip the reader with or against his will, the novel s protagonist - Bigger Thomas - seemed to have arisen a lot of controversy in most of the reviews.

In the following essay I will analyse the complex character of the protagonist and draw a conclusion on the question whether Bigger Thomas is a subhuman monster, a victim of society, a tragic hero, a bit of everything - or none of it at all...