Native Son

     Toward the middle of book three in Richard Wright's Native Son, Bigger Thomas is sent to trial for murdering Mary Dalton. During the trial, Bigger's lawyer, Max, a worker for the labor defenders and in support of the Communists, gives a speech about the situation at hand. Max argues that Bigger did indeed murder Mary Dalton, however there is a larger picture, and the trial is bigger than Bigger.
     In his speech, Max presents information surrounding the reason as to why Bigger committed the crime. He says that Bigger was forced into this situation by the white people who control society. Max states that the African Americans have no freedom, they are forced onto the same miserable path of poverty and or crime. Bigger is a victim of this system, Max argues, and Bigger had no other options in Mary's room that terrible evening, he was either to be tried then, or weeks later. In fact Bigger had already committed murder before he actually killed anybody, due to the assumptions and stereotypes of the white people. Max concludes his argument by saying that the reason white people are mad at Bigger is because they are mad at themselves for making it happen.
     Max's testimony brings many themes up to the spotlight. While everybody can certainly agree that African Americans have and always had been restricted by the white people in America and elsewhere, Max takes this one step further, arguing that it wasn't the whites restriction that caused the murder, it was the whites themselves. Regardless if the validity of Max's argument, Bigger was convicted and sentenced to death. But had his trial been real, maybe it would've brought some of these topics to light.