As Bigger’s court case begins to wrap up its is clear that he will be sentenced to death for his crimes and in many ways he has accepted this fate. However, Bigger’s lawyer argues with the court that if they haven’t yet acknowledged his existence then how can he be put to death. For a fleeting moment this seems to spark a debate over Bigger’s death, yet after a brief recess, the judge returns and sentences Bigger to death.
Throughout the story, Bigger struggles to be acknowledged as a human by white people just as he struggles to see white people as a whole in a good light. While Max portrays the lead up to Bigger’s crimes as the result of white oppression, Bigger feels relief in knowing that white people, and more specifically the white people that knew him personally, understand their faults. However, ultimately, the judge ignores any fault white people may have had in damaging Bigger’s psychological health and still decides to sentence Bigger to death.
This ending is a hopeless one for the black population of Chicago in the story. Though presented with a case of how white oppression harms black people, as a whole the white people in the story seem indifferent to the struggling black families.
I totally agree that the white character in this story are indifferent to the true plight of the black characters. The Daltons in particular are especially blind to solutions to structural racism. Obviously, Mr. Dalton is a good example, but I feel Mary is one as well. Her and Jan did not notice how uncomfortable Bigger was while he was chauffeuring them around. They didn’t understand the psychological toll racism has had on Bigger throughout his life.
I don’t think the ending was hopeless for black populations. In Bigger’s trial Max highlights the unjust qualities behind racism and how it elicits aggressive retaliation. Max warns the white populations that if changes don’t happen more people like Bigger will threaten them. Also the fact that Jan understands Bigger’s fear and anger shows that there is hope.
I agree that while Bigger’s future may be bleak, it is not the case for the black community as a whole in Chicago. The very fact that Boris identifies the faults of white society and its crimes against black people shows that there could be hope in the future for change and while the judge does in the end choose to ignore Boris’s points and sentences Bigger to death, there was a slight hesitation before the verdict was reached which I feel is a win in itself (think of the Scottsboro Boys, or the Groveland Four who were basically found guilty before their trials even started, historically, the insinuation of a black man harming a white woman was enough to ruin the man’s life)
No one in the white community in America in the 1930s could see just how negative the effect of racism and oppression was on blacks. This reminds me of when English settlers took over Native American territory and turned it into colonies. Both the Native Americans and blacks became so psychologically damaged from being made inferior and depicted as uncivilized savages that they acted out violently, causing many severe conflicts. Unlike blacks, however, Native Americans resisted the urge to perform crimes against whites and amongst each other. Instead, they did not let white oppression tear them apart by sticking together and revolting.