From the opening through Bigger’s argument with Gus
at the pool hall
Summary
An alarm clock rings in a dark Chicago apartment. Bigger
Thomas, a young black man, shares the apartment with his mother,
his sister Vera, and his brother Buddy. The apartment has only one
room, which forces Bigger and Buddy to turn their backs to avoid
the shame of seeing Vera and their mother dress.
A huge black rat runs across the floor. Vera cowers and
Mrs. Thomas jumps on the bed while Bigger and Buddy frantically
try to kill the rat. The rat attacks Bigger, biting a hole in his
pant leg before it is cornered. Bigger smashes the rat with a skillet
and then crushes its head with a shoe, cursing hysterically. Before
disposing of the rat, Bigger holds it up by the tail in front of
Vera, taking pleasure in her fear until she faints.
With the immediate danger gone, Mrs. Thomas turns all
her attention on Bigger, first asking him why he has frightened
his sister, then blaming him for the family’s poverty and accusing
him of thinking only of himself. She warns him that if he does not
change his ways and stop associating with his “gang,” he will end
up in the gallows. Bigger tries to shout his mother down, but his
voice is filled with nervousness and irritation, and he longs for
silence.
Bigger hates his family because of their poverty and suffering
and because he feels there is nothing he can do to help them. He
believes that he cannot afford to let himself feel their shame and
misery too strongly without also feeling the urge to kill himself
or someone else. He has cultivated a façade of outer toughness to
protect himself from the unbearable pressure he feels as a result
of his family’s social position.
Bigger’s mother sings a spiritual while preparing breakfast—a song
that annoys Bigger. She begins to prod Bigger about a job he has
been offered with a man named Mr. Dalton. She tells him that if he
takes the job, the family will be able to move to a nicer apartment. If
he does not, he will lose his relief money and the family will starve. Resentment
builds in Bigger, as he feels that his family is tricking him into
giving up. Frustrated by his narrow range of choices, he storms
out of the room and into the building’s vestibule, where he broods
while watching the traffic through the window.
Across the street, men are putting up campaign posters
for the State’s Attorney, a man named Buckley. Bigger imagines the
millions of dollars Buckley makes through corruption, and longs
to be him for a day. The words “If You Break The Law, You Can’t
Win!” adorn the top of the campaign posters. Bigger knows, however,
that a man can win if he can afford to pay Buckley off. Bigger checks
his pocket and finds he has only twenty-six cents.
