Bigger’s family discovers a large black rat in their home. The women shriek and Bigger tells Buddy to block off the rat’s mode of exit. The two brothers chase the frantic, trapped rat. The animal fights hard, ripping a chunk from Bigger’s pants with his teeth. When Bigger finally corners him, he angrily smashes his head with a shoe, cursing the rat. Bigger and Buddy stare at their kill, amazed at his size and asserting that the rat could have killed someone with his teeth. Bigger shows the mangled body to his sister, causing her to faint, and the takes the dead rat out to the trashcan. The rat is a symbol that foreshadows Bigger’s own fate. Like the rat, Bigger is an outsider in the Dalton house. He wants to be quiet and unnoticeable, but Mary pushes him, and he finally ends up cornered and fighting until he is caught and killed. His life will be tossed away like it’s worthless, and like the rat, he will be held up to scare young women. At the Daltons’ house, Bigger meets the natural enemy of the rat, the family’s white cat. Unlike the interloping rat, the cat, bestowed with a human name (Kate), is welcomed and coddled like one of the family.

The Black Rat and the White Cat

Fire and Ice

Perception and Freedom

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African American Literature

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Banned Books Week

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Challenging Authority

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Existentialism

Power

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Richard Wright

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About Native Son

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Wright’s debut novel is a seminal work that probes themes of power, identity, and race in America. Check out this summary of Native Son.

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Book 1: “Fear”

Book 1

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Book 2: “Flight”

Book 2

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Book 3: “Fate”

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Character Analysis

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