Native Son: Responsiblility

Richard Wright's famous book Native Son tells of a black boy named Bigger Thomas growing up in a world of oppression and racism. Throughout the book, it's clear that one man's actions can be traced back to several people's conduct. There is much debate regarding the responsibility for the actions and crimes committed by Bigger, mainly the murder of Mary Dalton, a young white woman. Bigger had suffocated Mary, then burned her in the furnace …

…readers think the whites are responsible for forcing the blacks to live in such harsh conditions. Others favor the thought of black society being responsible. Bigger being at fault for his own actions is another preferred idea. Each opinion is right in its own way. It was partially the fault of all of the above. But not until all of society takes responsibility for everyone's actions, instead of shunning them, can they all live together.