WAEC Literature in English 2016 Theory — Question 5

Model answer

Bigger is a product of a racist society and this is what makes him a murderer in the novel. At the beginning of a novel we see a wild Bigger who is the product of a racist and stereotypical society. Bigger inhabits a rat-infested house with his family; he is deprived of education and his career is not guaranteed. These have conditioned him to hating the white majority that defines his existence. Bigger does not have access to quality education and worthwhile education. He wanted to attend a school where he could train as an aviator but he was denied admission due to the colour of his skin. He wanted to join the Army but the only job available for the blacks like him was digging trenches. In the Navy, he could only be employed to wash dishes and scrub floors. In business, there is no chance for a black guy. With this situation, Bigger loses interest in work altogether. He prefers petty stealing to legitimate work in order to take care of the immediate needs of his flesh. He engages in sexual acts with Bessie who offers sexual consolation whenever needed. He is involved in illicit activities with his gang. Bigger manifests the murderous tendencies from the beginning of the novel. He keeps a gun and a knife. Bigger keeps a gang, the likes of Gus, GH and Jack. Their first aim is to rob Mr. Blum's delicatessen. Mr. Blum is a white man and Bigger and his gangs haven't robbed a white man before. This plan to rob Mr. Blum is predicated upon hatred, fear and terror that is unleashed upon them by the white majority. Of all the gang, Bigger is the most furious and fearful. Although Bigger's fear is wrapped in fake courage, Gus confirms it that he is fearful just like every other person. Like every other black, Bigger is caught in the web of hatred and oppression from the majority white. He is a product of frustrated dream occasioned by the white-dominated society. The conversation between him and Gus at the entrance of the pool room shows that he is not satisfied with the situation of things in the society. The blacks have been made to be mere wishful thinkers by the whites. They cannot aspire for great things. Bigger fumes with rage upon the thoughts of the maltreatment of the blacks by the whites and begins to manifest some murderous tendencies. Bigger does not only manifest hatred towards the whites who he thinks are responsible for his predicaments, he also manifests hatred towards the blacks who don't share the same thoughts with him. At times his case is just a transfer of annoyance. He becomes unnecessarily aggressive towards his immediate siblings, mum and friends. His threat to kill Gus with a knife is an attestation to his murderous tendencies in the novel. Thus, it could be said that that is his first murderous attempt, sourced by perceived failure to rob Mr. Blum. Poignant is the threat from Mr. Buckley's poster that reads: IF YOU BREAK THE LAW YOU CAN'T WIN. Bigger lives with the consciousness that he is in a society where there is hatred. He feels he is being hated. Hatred begets hatred as Bigger chooses to hate every white. Not only does Bigger resent the treatment he suffers in the hands of the white folks, he hates them for treating him the way they do. Bigger believes that whites' efforts at keeping his people down are a sign of their hatred for them. Thus Bigger interprets Daltons' supposed kindness as hatred and hates being in close contact with the whites. Fear, frustration and anger dominate Bigger's existence. These three negative feelings define his existence. He fears and hates Mary for being white and trying to be so close. He kills Mary out of fear and out of hatred. He puts her corpse in a trunk and then in the furnace. Bigger becomes very wild after the killing of Mary. He not only kills Mary, he demands a ransom, implicates Jan and puts the whole state in confusion. Killing Mary graduates Bigger to serial killing as he proceeds to murder Bessie for the fear of having his secret exposed. Bigger becomes notorious at the manifestation of his true identity. He becomes the talk of the newspaper. He shows no remorse for the killing and he is prepared to face the consequence of his murderous act. In the court of law, Boris Max makes it known that Bigger is a product of a racist society. Hence, it can be concluded that it is the society that makes Bigger a murderer.