In his novel “Native Son,” author Richard Wright depicts the struggles of Bigger Thomas, whose life reaches a major turning point after the murder of Mary Dalton. The difference between Bigger's dreams and the "illusion" of reality plays an important role throughout the novel. Bigger's deepest dreams and desires symbolize the desire of African Americans as a whole; however, they are oppressed by the reality of their situation. This crisis reinforces the overall message of Richard Wright's novel. His use of this conflicting theme in addition to innocence and brutality and other points of contrast subtly coincides with the central theme of racial struggle experienced between two very different worlds. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an original essayThe fact that Wright compares Bigger's life to a nightmare or a dream during intense moments supports the idea that the perception of Bigger's life lies on the line where reality and illusions merge. Additionally, the coma-like state that Bigger appears to live in exists from the inception of his crime until his death. For example, when Mrs. Dalton arrives at Bigger alone with Mary, a terror seizes him as if he were “falling from a great height in a dream” (85). When he wakes up the day after Marie's murder, he remembers as if it were a simple nightmare that he had "killed Marie, suffocated her, cut off her head and put her body in the fiery furnace” (97). However, the reality of his death interferes with Bigger's life in his dreams. On several occasions, the image of Mary's head "floated before his eyes" and he even dreams of his own head "lying, black face, half-closed eyes and parted lips with visible white teeth and hair wet with blood” (165). As a result, Bigger's dreams serve to express his conscience towards Mary's murder, in which remorse is barely expressed. Additionally, while Bigger is in his cell, he contemplates that after his death, he would "sigh to see how simple and foolish his dream had been." This further justifies the idea that Bigger's life alternates between reality and "dream". Bigger's dreams not only exist internally during sleep, but are also expressed externally in the form of his aspirations. For example, when he and Gus observe a plane writing in the sky above them, Bigger comments, "I could fly a plane if I had the chance" (17). Although he only went to eighth grade, Bigger's actions in the story prove that he has the ability to pilot a plane. However, Gus retaliates by saying "if you weren't black and if you had money and if they would let you go to that aviation school." These “ifs” dismiss Bigger’s dream as a simply unattainable goal. This proves that his aspiration to become a pilot is oppressed by his position in society, thus diminishing his "chance". Further reinforcing Gus's verdict, when Max asks Bigger what he wanted to do and that he wasn't allowed to do it, Bigger replies that he wanted to become an aviator, but that the school he wanted to attend “excluded all colored boys” (353). The fact that the white world is so exclusive to Bigger arouses a feeling of hostility in him, because he knows he will never be able to experience it. Bigger describes this feeling to Gus as being "out there in the world, looking through a hole in the fence." Nevertheless, Bigger continues to dream, and he and Gus engage in a game of "playing white." As they held back the urge to laugh, they "burst out laughing, partly at themselves and partly at the vast white world that stretched outand ruled before them in the sun” (18). By using the terms "vast," "extensive," and "imposing," Wright's diction succeeds in creating the image of an overwhelming force against Bigger who reserves the power to distinguish his fantasies from reality. In his essay, “Urban Racism Causes Bigger’s Irrationality.” ", literary critic Seodial Deena says that Bigger Falls is a "victim of municipal politics and the media." Unlike the poor world of African Americans, the white world is described as having “plenty of food, comfort, privacy, opportunity, money, and pleasure” (Deena 135). This is evident when Bigger watches The Gay Woman and Trader Horn in the cinema. In The Gay Woman, "shining sands" and "a stretch of sparkling water" create a sense of glamor and ultimately motivate Bigger to accept the job. He begins to wonder if Mary Dalton was a "hot girl" who "spent a lot of money" and would perhaps even pay him not to talk about a "secret sweetheart." The effect of such persuasion from the gay woman is further enhanced when Trader Horn subsequently reveals himself. Images of “naked black men and women whirling in wild dances” are depicted and African Americans are seen as uncivilized compared to wealthy, aristocratic whites. As Bigger watches the film, these images have been replaced in his mind with "white men and women in black and white clothing, laughing, talking, drinking and dancing." As a result, Bigger accepts the job because he expects the media to pitch him; however, he learns, as Deena claims, "all that glitters is not gold." The theme of innocence and brutality is visible in several aspects of Native Son. The deaths of Mary Dalton and Bessie Mears illustrate these contrasting points. In "Native Son is a Novel of Revolt," literary scholar Steven J. Rubin explains that Bigger's murder of Bessie is "simply evidence of his newfound agency" because it gives him a sense of "control over his destiny. Unlike Mary, Bigger deliberately and unnecessarily kills Bessie. Additionally, although both deaths are equally brutal, Mary's death sparks an outcry while Bessie's murder is used as mere evidence. Richard Wright's incorporation of these two deaths in this way supports the message of racial prejudice taking place in Chicago in the 1930s. Their murders also symbolize how innocence is treated brutally in many conditions throughout of the novel. Although Mary has good intentions and claims to be "on Bigger's side", he still kills her and cruelly disposes of her body. Conversely, Wright demonstrates that African Americans were also brutally treated by white police despite their innocence. In his essay “How Did ‘Bigger’ Come to Be?” » Wright explains that in times of crime when citizens are "crying for police action, police cars travel up and down the Black Belt and pick up the first black boy who appears to be alone and homeless" (455). Although innocent, the day they are arrested by the police, a tacit contract is sealed announcing their conviction or execution. As a result, public tension is relieved at the expense of the innocent, much as the murders relieve the tensions within Bigger from his external environment. Furthermore, Bigger treats innocence with cruelty because of the feeling of shame or helplessness it instills in him. . This can be detected from the beginning of the novel. When Mrs. Thomas briefly complains about their living conditions after Bigger kills the rat, it is revealed that Bigger "hated his family because he knew they were suffering and was powerless to help them" (10). . In.