Native Son to pg 381

Quote: "Could Max really save his life? In the act of thinking the thought, he thrust it from him. If he kept hope from his mind, then whatever happened would seem natural"(381).

Significance: This quote is significant because Bigger is some what starting to trust and believe in Max. He is still questioning the fact if Max could really save his life. Bigger still does not trust Max fully yet, he does not want to keep hope in his mind. Bigger does not want to hope that he will be saved, he does not want to get his hopes up to high, that is what he is doing. Bigger does not want to believe that Max can save him because if he starts to believe it and it does not happen, Bigger will me let down. Bigger does not want to be let down at a time like this even though he says he does not care what happens. I really believe that he wants to be saved, but he just does not want his hopes to be to high.

Question: Is Bigger going to live and not get sentenced to the death penalty?

Native Son to pg 363

Quote: "Why had Max asked him all those questions? He knew that Max was seeking facts to tell the judge; but in Max's asking of those questions he had felt a recognition of his life, of his feelings, of his person that he had never encountered before"(360).


Significance: This quote is significant because it shows how much Max really is helping Bigger. Bigger just does not realize it until Max leaves. Bigger is finally understanding his feelings and why he did what he did to those two women. He is seeing and understanding all the things he did when he did not see them from the start. By Bigger recognizing all of these things, he starts believing in Max and now he does care what happens to him and he does not want to die. Max is helping him realize what had happen in his life and what he did and that he should care. Max wants Bigger to stand up for his people and fight against the court. Bigger is finally understanding that.


Question: Why does Max keep trying to help Bigger if Bigger does not believe he can be helped?

Native Son to pg 340 Part 3

Quote: "For the first time in his life a white man became a human being to him; and the reality of Jan's humanity came in a stab of remorse: he had killed what this man loved and had hurt him" (289).

Significance: This quote is significant because Bigger finally is realizing that the murder he had committed did not just affect him, but also the people around him. Bigger worried about how he would be affected if he got caught for what he did and know that he has been caught he has realized he had affected other people by his actions. He had killed the one Jan loved and then tried to frame the murder upon him. Jan was really the one trying to help Bigger and he still is. It is sad because Jan was the one person, not to mention the one white person, who was trying to help him and Bigger did not learn that or understand that until now.

Question: What is going to happen it Bigger's family?

Native Son to pg 340 part 2

Quote: "Though he had killed a black girl and a white girl, he knew that it would be for the death of the white girl that he would be punished. The black girl was merely 'evidence.' And under it all he knew that the white people did not really care about Bessie's being killed. White people never searched for Negroes who killed other Negroes. He had heard it said that white people felt it was good when one Negro killed another; it meant that they had one Negro less to contend with"(331).


Significance: This quote is significant because it shows the racism that is in the book. It shows that because Bigger killed both a black girl and a white girl, but that black girl being killed does not matter only the fact that he killed a white girl makes it a big deal. I believe that it is unfair to Bigger and the other black people in this book because everyone should be treated equally and with respect. If a white kills a white they should get in trouble, and if a black kills a black they should get into the same trouble and have the same consequences as the white people. The white people not caring so much about the black people being killed shows a lack of respect towards the black race it that is not fair. The white people would not like it if a black person said they did not care about a white person dying, they would probably put that black person in jail or even possibly kill them. It just is not fair to anyone.


Question: Why is Jan still trying to help Bigger even though he tried to pin the murder on him?

Native Son to pg 340 part one

Quote: "Well, you jarred me....I see now. I was kind of blind"(287).

Significance: This quote is significant because this is what Bigger has been saying all along and someone finally has made it clear that they really were blind. Jan had no idea what Bigger was doing because he pulled the wool over his eyes. Jan now understands what was happening because before he was just blind of what was happening. Bigger thought they all would be blind of what he did forever, but obivously not if Jan told him he was blind of what was happening and now he understands.

Question: Is Max really going to help Bigger?

Native Son to pg 286

Quote: "Toward no one in the world did he feel any fear now, for he knew that fear was useless; and toward no one in the world did he feel any hate now, for he knew that hate would not help him"(273).

Significance: This quote is significant because Bigger feels nothing anymore. Before he was lying and trying to stay out of trouble and not get caught. Now that he is caught he feels no need to have different emotions toward people because he lost and got caught when he never that he would. Bigger was way to confident when he was lying and he really thought that would keep him out of trouble. What he feels now is depression because he knows he failed and should not hate anyone. The only person he should hate is himself for what he did.

Question: What was the point of the preacher?

Native Son to pg 270 End of 2nd book

Quote: "Under it all some part of his mind was beginning to stand aside; he was going behind his curtain, his wall, looking out with sullen stares of contempt. He was outside of himself now, looking on"(267).

Significance: This quote shows that Bigger finally realizes he is going to be caught for his actions. Before he was ready to be captured and confident that he was not scared, but now he wants to hide from the police. He is finally realizing what he did and that he really is going to be caught. I think he might have thought that he would never be caught because he made up such believable lies, but lies always catch up to people. People can not hide forever and that is what Bigger thought he could do, but now that they have got him there is nothing he can do. He can not hide behind his lies anymore.

Question: What does Bigger's mother have to say about what Bigger had done?

Native Son to pg 209

Quote: "He could not afford to get angry now. And he had no need to be angry. Why should he be angry with a lot of fools? They were looking for the girl and the girl was ten feet from them, burning. He had killed her and they did not know it"(208).


Significance: This quote is significant because it is just telling us again how Bigger sees everyone as blind because they have not figured out what he had done.This quote is saying the same thing as every other time he called all those people blind. He believes because no one has figure out what he did then he sees them as fools and those people he should not become angry at because they do not know the true story. Eventually all of Bigger's lies will catch up to him and it will feel like a punch in the face to him because he has been so confident that no one will ever know what he did and when they do find out he won't feel so confident. He will really just look stupid for believing no one will ever find out he killed Mary and made up lies to get out of trouble.


Question: Is Bigger ever going to get caught?

Native Son to pg 186

Quote: "He was coming back into possession of himself; for the past three minutes it seemed he had been under a strange spell, possessed by a force which he hated, but which he had to obey"(172).

Significance: This quote is significant because Bigger has a lot of anger that is controlling him. He shows that by threatening and hurting people. By him saying that he must obey it makes him look like a horrible person who needs help. The more anger he builds up the more he is going to hurt people and he has already hurt Bessie whom he loves. Is he going to hurt his mother next. Also the more he lies and tries to get others caught is also going to cause him to do stupid things like hurt people and also to dig a deeper hole of trouble for himself. Bigger does not think he is going to get caught, but eventually all of his lies are going to catch up to him in the end.

Question: Are Bessie and Bigger going to get caught?