Rachel Martinez

The Cognitive Dissonance of Bigger Thomas

Studies of Richard Wright's Native Son (1940) explore issues ranging from Marxism,
feminism, and racial stereotyping to determinism, literary precedent, and even the influence of
movies and modern music.1 However, few studies have analyzed the psychology of the novel's
main character, Bigger Thomas.2 This study applies cognitive-dissonance theory to suggest
that Bigger's dissonance toward black and white communities creates immense fear, shame, and
anger, leading to the murder of Mary Dalton and fundamentally changing Bigger as he becomes
increasingly aware of his own cognitive disconnect.
Cognitive dissonance refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs, or
behaviors. Cognitive-dissonance theory holds that individuals tend to seek consistency among
their beliefs and opinions. When an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors exists, either
the attitude or the behavior changes to reconcile the dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is thus a
very powerful motivator, often leading to a change in conflicting beliefs or actions. The
discomfort of dissonance often feels like a tension between the two opposing thoughts. To
release the tension, people most often (1) change the behavior, (2) justify the behavior by
restructuring the conflicting cognition, or (3) justify the behavior by adding new cognitions.
When people have to deal with past actions, post-factum dissonance compels them to change
their beliefs. Once beliefs change, the dissonance appears during decision making, forcing
persons to take actions they would otherwise not have considered. This study concludes that the
various aspects of Bigger's dissonance, which lead to Mary Daltons murder, result from Bigger's
friends, society, and even his own mother.
Bigger's experience of the self-effacing and dissonant-laden clash with others has much
to do with his being black and not adequately providing for the family. Before Bigger's fight with
the rat at the outset of the book, mention occurs of the family's dropping their "conspiracy

against shame" (4). They are ashamed of having to be undressed around one another, but more so
because of who they are as black Americans. In that moment of danger with the rat, they drop
their fear, their outward perceptions of who they are; because of fear, they reveal their shame and
have to face it. This fleeting moment is, I suggest, a glimpse into the shame, fear, and anger that
occasion Bigger's dissonance toward his race and toward white people generally.
Bigger's dissonance toward his own race, which in part leads to the murder of Mary
Dalton, is in some measure spurred by the resentment and shame imparted by his mother. She
questions and regrets his very birth while constantly blaming him for the family's sorry economic
state (8-9). Because she constantly highlights his shortcomings, Bigger comes to see himself, in
the context of his family, as a collection of flaws rather than as a man with dreams and goals,
even though internally he wants to be better. He therefore knows that his family is suffering but
deems himself powerless to help them (10). All he is to them is a "no-countest man" who refuses
to work, caring about nothing. This self-fulfilling prophecy leads Bigger to hate his family,
further kindling the dissonance within that separates his perception of his own positive selfworth from the projected lowered value his family places on him. Even though Bigger comes to
hate his family, he internally does want to help and provide for them. However, Bigger admits
that if he were to help his family as he wants tothereby sharing their shame through
identification with their plighthe would be overcome with fear and despair. In Bigger, these
conflicting feelings result in unresolved dissonance that influences his thoughts and sorrowful
actions.
The collision of sentiment, stemming in part from his mother, extends to Bigger's
resentment of the black community. That body, including everyone Bigger knowshis family,
his friends, and Bessiefollows an unspoken rule about what is appropriate for white people and
what is suitable for blacks. They know that they are not supposed to cross the line, that food and
rent cost more for them than for white people, and that, even if they wish to improve, they will
be barred from doing so. Unknown to himself, the women in Bigger's life, Bessie and his mother,

represent the larger black community. Both women work themselves to the point of misery.
Rather than fight back or actively try to change their position in life, they accept their lot and are
consoled only by religion and alcohol. Bigger feels, but is incapable of expressing, his
resentment that his mother and Bessierepresenting a host of others like themselvesmerely
submit to the blind hope that someone else will make things better rather than have the
responsibility of effecting that change themselves. This resentment collides with the hope that
Bigger has for the black community, thus complicating dissonance.
Bigger's resentment and ambivalence toward his own race is conspicuous in his
interactions with friends. Bigger sees a reflection of how he himself acts in their actions and
words. When Bigger comes to his friends with the idea of robbing Blum's store, he is met with
concern and reluctance that mirror his own feelings. He is afraid of confronting his sentiment
toward the white community, as shown in his inward hesitation to rob Blum's store. Doing so
would be a rebellion against norms created by white society and sustained by the black
community, a risk that Bigger is not yet willing to undertake. When Bigger sees his fear reflected
in his friend Gus, Bigger becomes angry and violent (25). Bigger does not want to be afraid of
robbing Blum's store; he does not want to fear the robbery, since such perceived cowardice
would prove a psychological obstacle to self-empowerment. Bigger thus wishes to resolve this
dissonance by not being what he resents in his own race: afraid and complacent.
However, seeing his own fear and hesitation echoed in Gus causes Bigger to realize that
he is scared, thereby building tension between Bigger's need to be strong and powerfuldirectly
contradicting the fearful complacency of his communityand Bigger's more truthful internal
feelings of fear. Bigger therefore hates Gus for forcing him to face his own fears and ambivalent
feelings, specifically the inability to understand the gap between the desire Bigger has to be
strong and his internal fear of being so. Lacking such insight, Bigger lashes out at his friends. By
threatening Gus (27), Bigger evaded recognition of inner dissonancethat is, the tension
between his need for strength and his actual fear. Bigger thereby wishes for his friends to hate

and fear him, so as to gain empowerment over his own hatred and fear. Bigger therefore needs to
fight his friends to feel equal to them. Still, that quest for equality is just a confession of Bigger's
need to resolve internal disharmony about the complacency he hates in the black community. The
need to conquer and resolve his tension is the driving force behind Bigger's attacking Gus and
causing a rise out of his other friends and Doc, thereby foreshadowing the psychological state
that leads Bigger to murder Mary.
Bigger's fear of rebellion and acts of violence, occasioning of the dissonance he feels
toward black and whites, emerges from resentment toward his own race. That disdain is oddly
linked to Bigger's dreams of flying, or being free. When Bigger confides to Gus the dream of
being a pilot and flying planes, Bigger is mocked and experiences the same social complacency
with the system that afflicts his mother and Bessie. The impossibility of Bigger's dream is
undeniable, for he lacks both the funds and credentials to attend flight school. Since he is black,
he is forced to abide by the rules and norms of the racist white society. The idea that Bigger
could ever be a pilot is as impossible as it is infuriating, for he has long known that white people
have all the power. He nonetheless believesthough he may be unable to articulate his
convictionthat he and black people in general do not have to be confined by the black social
norms imposed by the white majority. His friends belief that Bigger is incapable of becoming a
pilot therefore impinges on Bigger's internal and more positive views of himself and his race.
Indeed, this cognitive dissonance helps to account for Bigger's resentment toward his own race.
Biggers resentment toward the white community aggravates his dissonance but surfaces
long before he murders Mary. Everything in society constantly reminds Bigger of his oppression;
even a simple election banner, "YOU CAN'T WIN," is a blatant message from society to Bigger.
The banner reminds him that, as a black man, he is always watched by white society, just as he is
observed by the unblinking eyes of the banner (13). The constant, degrading scrutiny that Bigger
receives from the white community aggravates his anxiety and continues to distance him from
society. He therefore speaks about his feelings of separation from the white world and how

unfair his situation is. That more conspicuous and socially engineered manifestation of
dissonance makes him feel ominous about the future. However, before he kills Mary, he cannot
place where these feelings are leading him (20).
Although, prior to the murder, Bigger is not fully aware of the tension between his
internal views of himself and the social views placed on him, that antagonism leads him to
murder. His fundamental character change emerges from the ways in which white society and the
black community condition Bigger to act. For example, Bigger is expected to give certain
responses and maintain a scripted image for white people. This social pressure exacerbates his
anxiety when he deals with them, for he has been conditioned to stay on his side of the line. To
him the white neighborhood is a completely different world. In this white world the simple
action of entering a home creates dysfunctional anxiety and fear. In this white world, his just
being there could cause concern, as the assumption prevails that, because Bigger is black, the
only reason he is in a white neighborhood is to steal or rape. Bigger knows that such stereotypes
are unreasonable, but dissonance exists in his inability to resist succumbing to these ideas and
anxiety.
The shame caused by the social norms instituted by the white society and perpetuated by
the black community, including Bigger, is the source of the unresolved dissonance and ensuing
anger that Bigger feels toward white society, including the Daltons. Entering the Dalton home,
he is actively aware of what body language to use and how to speak to meet expectations. The
fact that Bigger stereotypically answers Mr. Dalton, "Yessuh, displays both conditioned actions
and outlooks that Bigger resents because those reflect his inability to transcend hated social
norms. Further, Bigger takes on this almost primitive, primate stance, devoid of personal pride,
so as to appear in compliance with the expectations of both black and white society. Cognitive
dissonance nonetheless occurs because Bigger acts in a way that is fundamentally different from
who he really is, whether by white or black standards.

Bigger is accustomed to those equivocally unwritten norms, complicated by the

additional dissonance occasioned by the Daltons' nominally rejecting social rituals that lead to
Mary's death and Bigger's change of character. The Daltons' behavior confuses Bigger. Mary, in
particular, puzzles Bigger because she blatantly ignores the racial divide by getting very close to
him, unafraid of his blackness or her whiteness. Bigger's first interaction with Mary is confusing
and stressful: by questioning him, she not only shucks the conventions to which Bigger is
accustomed, but she talks to Bigger about workers' unions, something about which he is
ignorant. This conflicting encounter, calculated to elevate Bigger, exacerbates his feelings of
inferiority, insecurity, and anger. While Bigger initially appears capable of dealing with the
confusion, the psychological and social ambiguity results in the diminishment of his already
polar sense of identity and dignity. The dissonance between Bigger's following the norms and
Mary's blatant disregard for convention further reminds him, anguishingly so, about the shameful
persona he has created for himself. Such is the uncontrollable source of Bigger's anger and
violence. Although the murder of Mary was accidental, her death was a nearly inevitable event
caused by Bigger's psychological confusion, shame, and anger.
Although Bigger wants to be equal to white people, as suggested by his dissonant
response to prescriptive social outlook, the actual opportunity for equality causes the tension
toward Mary that leads to her death and then to Bigger's fundamental change, mainly because
Bigger is not ready for Mary's disregard for convention. Because Bigger cannot come to terms
with Mary's being on "his side" (64), he denounces her as crazy; indeed, just as he was scared of
rebelling against the white society and black community by robbing Blum's store, so he is unable
to accept Mary's egalitarian gestures. The presence of Jan, the socialist, only aggravates the
situation. However clumsily, Jan is so forward in his overtones of equality as to throw Bigger
into a state of unprepared confusion, distrust, and defensiveness. Stated otherwise, Jan's and
Mary's actions make Bigger aware of his fear of being equal, the main underlying factor of his

cognitive-dissonance. Bigger thus grows increasingly aware of his black skin and the shame
attached to it, which ultimately evokes his hate and murderous actions toward Mary.
Indeed, so conflicted is Bigger that he begins to feel a sense of violence similar to that
which he experienced when fighting Gus. He becomes overwhelmed by his conflicting emotions
toward Mary but cannot quite figure out what to do. He wants to forget his shame, his negative
cognitions about white people, and his beliefs about himself and his race, but he cannot
transform those thoughts into constructive actions. The tension Bigger experiences in the
presence of blacks and whites, alike, eventuates in one precarious moment of rebellion. Out of
fear, Bigger murders Mary. Granted, he ostensibly wishes to avoid being caught in her room in a
moment of passion. Closer to his motive, however, is the tension between Bigger's desire to be
free from oppressive social norms and from the fear and shame that cause him to abide by those
norms. Mary's murder is Bigger's rebellion against Blum's store, or shaking Jan's hand and
accepting his friendship, or obstacles to becoming a pilot. Mary's death was therefore Bigger's
liberation from society and dissonance alike. Bigger's actions, although seemingly accidental,
though admittedly lethal, were the outcome of dissonance caused by social conflict and
ambiguity.
The resolution of dissonance resulting from Mary's death changes Bigger fundamentally.
Because he takes this definitive leap over the racial line, he can now fully understand previous
conflicted feelings. He finally comprehends the clash between his internal views of himself
alongside his always-thwarted desire to rebel against society. This understanding forever changes
the way he sees the black and white communities and even himself. Bigger not only grasps his
previous dissonance but sees its resulting action as the meaning of his life and as some liberating
repayment of a debt to himself. Bigger now has a sense of clarity, however negative or harsh,
that changes his character internally.

When Bigger returns homes after resolving his dissonance by murdering Mary, it is
strikingly apparent that he sees his family in a different light. Bigger's resentment of his family
for their complacency is clear to him now. He realizes fully that the only thing that keeps his
family apart from the Daltons is not wrongdoing but that "none of them in all their lives had ever
done anything, right or wrong, that mattered much" (105). From this realization, Bigger no
longer feels the dissonance of his shame and fear; rather, he is revived by a sense of freedom and
superiority. Bigger now understands the dissonance he felt toward his family and the black
community and thus delusively believes he has risen above them. After realizing his dissonance
toward the black community, Bigger changes from hating them for their complacency and
ambivalence to feeling so much above them that he can utilize their faults to his advantage. He
now sees their complacency as a tool he can manipulate. Bigger sees them as hoping for change
but being unable to do so. After Bigger comes to change his beliefs to match his actions, he is no
longer afraid of his friends. He has moved beyond his shame and fear so as not to be angered by
his friends' shame and anger. His friends no longer reflect what Bigger hates in himself; they
instead serve as a reminder to Bigger that he is now a new and free person who can navigate
social norms.
Bigger's attitude toward the white community also changes, allowing him to justify the
murder. Rather than simply being afraid of white people and resenting them, Bigger nearly feels
as superior to white society as he does to the black community. He is able to defy their norms
and rules, using the latter to his advantage. Just as the black community is blinded by their hope,
so the white community is blinded by their power, position, established norms, and stereotypes.
After killing Mary, Bigger comes to understand fully his anger toward the white community and
how his inability to rebel against their norms collides with his positive internal views of himself.
He intimates that it was not Mary who did anything to cause her death; rather, she tipped the
scales and released the dissonance he had felt prior to their meeting. Mary's patronizing equality
so contradicted social norms as to foreground Bigger's oppression. Bigger realizes that, in part,

the white people's rules and expectations keep black people complacent. He understands exactly
why he hates white people, helping him rationalize his crime and solidify his change in character,
however negative the outcome.
Bigger has therefore experienced the dissonance caused by the clash of his internal
beliefs of himself and his race with the beliefs imposed on him by a segregated society.3
Throughout the first half of novel, Bigger's dissonance builds as he is unable to relieve the
tension until he accidentally murders Mary, a white communist who comes to symbolize the
dissonance caused by the white community. Following the murder, Bigger comes to understand
the dissonance that had long pervaded his being.4 Still, Biggers capacity to recognize the feeling
of dissonant societal views leaves him with a change in his fundamental cognition and character.
He comes to believe that the murder he committed was justified by his previous dissonance.
Although Bigger resolves his conflict by appearing to transcend social norms, he nonetheless
murders two women and rapes one of them. He also faces the consequences of his actions.
Cognitive-dissonance theory is not an excuse for Bigger's actions; however, applying this theory
renders more understandable Bigger's thoughts and actions.

1. For non-psychological readings of Native Son see, Bolshteyn, Bryant, Demirtrk, Gercken,
Guttman, France, McLean, and Perez.
2. For other psychological readings of Native Son see McLean, Canby, and Esinger. All of these
writings anticipate my reading of Native Son via cognitive-dissonance theory. Still, that theory
was not yet available. For a psychologically deterministic reading of Native Son see Elder. To my
mind, it is not determinism that leads to Bigger's crisis of identity; rather, dissonance does so.
3. Takeuchi asserts that Bigger has created two identities for himself, one for the white
community and one for the black community. I argue that these conflicting attitudes and ideas
are the fodder for Bigger's dissonance throughout the novel and that it is the need to resolve that
dissonance that leads to Bigger's actions throughout.
4. Bryant contends that Biggers murders of Mary and Bessie bring to him the truth about
himself and his world (22). I argue that Bigger only believes he has come to some higher place
of understanding because he has to justify his actions of murder buy drastically changing his
beliefs to fit those actions.

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