From Bigger returning to the Daltons’ through his being questioned
by the press
Summary
Bigger knew the things that white folks
hated to hear Negroes ask for; and he knew that these were the things the
Reds were always asking for.
(See Important Quotations Explained)
As Bigger leaves Bessie, he feels confident because he
has taken his life into his own hands for once. His secret knowledge
that he murdered Mary wipes out his fear and relieves him from the
invisible force that has been burdening him. Upon reaching the Daltons’ home,
Bigger checks the furnace. Seeing nothing of Mary’s body, he adds
more coal to the fire. Peggy informs him that Mr. Dalton wants him
to pick up Mary’s trunk at the station because she has not claimed
it. The Daltons have also discovered that Mary has not arrived in
Detroit. Mr. and Mrs. Dalton question Bigger again and he repeats
his story.
When Bigger returns from the station, the Daltons introduce
him to Britten, a private investigator they have hired. Britten
doggedly questions Bigger, who remains timid and subservient and
sticks to his story. Bigger is excited that, for the first time,
he is in control, getting to “draw the picture for them” in the
same manner that white people have always defined the situation
for him.
Bigger tells Britten that he had not driven Mary to the
university. He says that he performed the job Mary instructed him
to do and that he kept it a secret because Mary told him to do so.
Continuing in this self-deprecating vein, Bigger describes the events
at the restaurant. When Britten asks whether Jan discussed communism
at dinner, Bigger plays the role of the befuddled, simpleminded
black boy. Bigger says that Jan, not Mary, told him to take the
trunk downstairs and leave the car in the driveway. Again, Bigger
says that he has not mentioned this detail before because Mary had
instructed him to keep the events a secret.
Britten produces the pamphlets Bigger left in his room
and accuses him of being a communist. Bigger is surprised that he,
as a black man, would be accused of being Jan’s partner. He convinces Mr.
Dalton that he took the pamphlets because Jan, a white man, had
insisted that he take them. Mr. Dalton tells Britten that they cannot
hold Bigger responsible for Mary’s disappearance. Britten is not so
sure, and Bigger can see that the investigator thinks he must be guilty
simply because he is black. Bigger offers to leave his job, but Mr.
Dalton apologizes and asks him to stay on. Bigger goes to his room
and eavesdrops on Mr. Dalton and Britten as they discuss him. Mr.
Dalton says that Bigger is not a bad boy, but Britten claims that “a
nigger’s a nigger” and that they are all trouble. Bigger feels he
has seen a thousand people just like Britten and believes that he
knows how to deal with him.
Dalton and Britten bring Jan to the house for questioning,
and he denies seeing Mary the night before. He changes his story
when Britten confronts him with the pamphlets he gave Bigger. When
Mr. Dalton offers him money to reveal Mary’s whereabouts, Jan stalks out
of the house. Bigger checks the furnace again and then hurries to tell
Bessie about the new developments. Jan confronts him in the street,
but Bigger pulls out his gun and chases Jan off. Jan’s innocence
fills Bigger with terrible anger, and it takes a few minutes for him
to regain his composure.
Bigger chooses a building managed by Mr. Dalton’s company
as the drop-off site for the ransom money. At Bessie’s, he writes
a ransom note demanding $10,000.
He signs it “Red” and includes a drawing of a hammer and sickle.
Bessie no longer wants to assist Bigger. She accuses Bigger of killing
Mary, and Bigger admits it, saying it is okay because “[t]hey done
killed plenty of us.” Bessie is terrified and begs Bigger not to
involve her. Bigger tells her menacingly that he will not leave
her behind and allow her to turn him in. Bessie then feels resigned
to her fate. Bigger shows her the drop-off site and instructs her
to return to the site at midnight the following night.
