Many of his action suggest an overriding response to fear, which stems from his exposure to a harsh social climate in which a clear line between acceptable behavior for white's and black's exists. His swift anger and his destructive impulses stem from that fear and becomes apparent in the opening scene when he fiercely attacks a huge rat. The same murderous impulse appears when his secret dread of the delicatessen robbery impels him to commit a vicious assault on his friend Gus. Bigger commits both of the brutal murders not in rage or anger, but as a reaction to fear. His typical fear stems from being caught in the act of doing something socially unacceptable and being the subje

The emotional forces that drive Bigger are conveyed by means other than his words. Besides reactions to fear, his actions demonstrate an extremely quick temper and destructive impulse as an integral part of his nature. Rage plays a key part in his basic nature, but does not directly motivate the murders he commits. Rage does not affect Bigger's intelligence and quick thinking and it becomes evident during the interview with Briton. The detective makes Bigger so angry that the interrogation becomes a game to Bigger, a game of logic and wills, of playing the stupid negro, and telling the man exactly what he wants to hear. The game Bigger plays during the interrogation shows his great intelligence and ability to think quickly on his feet. Bigger also displayed his intelligence in the creation of the ransom note. Using the situation to his advantage, Bigger wrote a ransom note to extort Mary's parents for money. To make the note even more convincing and to dissuade blame from himself, Bigger signs the note with the communist symbol of a hammer and sickle.

Frustration and hopelessness develop as major themes of the story. When Bigger and his friend Gus watch a sky writing plane, Bigger expresses frustration in his statement "I could fly one of them things if I had a chance." Discussing the impossibility of accomplishment in the white-controlled world, Bigger expresses hopelessness, saying, "They don't let us do nothing." When Gus reminds Bigger that they have always known this, Bigger agrees, but insists that he cannot accustom himself to it. "Every time I think about it," he says, "I feel like somebody's poking a red-hot iron down my throat." Today a good example of the same type of frustration can be seen on the various music videos done by black artists. These video portray, poor education and a lack of opportunities afforded to blacks.

Jan and Max base their decisions on the equality of man. Having a moral basis for action leads them to have a means to deal with oppression and the ability to hope. In contrast, Bigger accepts separatism as an immutable condition, and rebels against it by committing crimes. Bigger receives punishment for his actions. The author would appears to support socialist concepts as the proper rebellion against oppression. He seems to believe in the equality of men and the value of demonstrating it in everyday actions.

Although these actions demonstrate acts of rage, they do not portray the true motivation for Bigger's actions. The cause of Bigger personal conflicts stem his fear of repercussion for his actions as a black in a white dominated society. His fear of the consequences of being discovered with a drunk white woman, drive Bigger Thomas to smother Mary Dalton. This fear arose because of the non physical barriers, set up by society, between white and black people. This tension made Bigger angry while he was forced to secretly drive Jan and Mary around in the car and finally made him snap. Like Bigger, the entire city demonstrates conflicts based upon fear brought about by racial segregation. During the progress of the man hunt, blacks and whites go at each others throats. These various conflicts all stem from fear and racial hatred. Although Richard Wright portrays the segregation of the blacks, he does not omit the segregation of various social groups such as th

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Approximate Word count = 2259
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)