Amanda Labrado

Eng CP
Fraser
4/18/10
The Thomas Family Cycle of Poverty

“Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn't commit.”

~Eli Khamarov, Lives of the Cognoscenti

Bigger, the main character of Richard Wright’s Native Son, was the victim of, and had his

fate sealed, by the cycle of poverty. Bigger grew up poor. He was treated unequally all his life

and was given limited access to opportunities because of his poverty. He learned from

experience, as a poor Negro in a big city, what to expect from white people, and it was this

Cycle of
expectation –caused by sentiments of white people in his time toward Negroes – that led Bigger

Poverty
to his downfall. Bigger’s demise, in turn, also affected his family, because he was not able to

provide for them, forcing them to rely on “the relief” longer; therefore, it can be said that Bigger

caused his family’s cycle of poverty to continue.

Of the 11 parts of the cycle of poverty, the Thomas family fits into 8. Their cycle of

poverty begins with the uneducated (Mother, for instance) gaining a low paying job, if any, who

then becomes a tired parent without money to support his or her children. Then, it is often the

case that one parent either leaves, or dies prematurely because of their surrounding influences,

which later the children inherit, and become victim to as the cycle continues; this is because the

children may turn to the streets in search of a role model, or a more fulfilling life, which they

find in gangs. Since indigent children usually have little to no supervision, or may be neglected

at home, they are more likely to get in trouble with the law as a result, and they may even begin

to recruit others into a gang, resulting in “the projects” having negative role models, or no

positive inspiration, to offer their resident children; furthermore, female children may be

influenced to believe that school is unimportant, by the environments of the projects, and may
wind up on the streets using sex as a way to gain power, or even closeness – to make up for that

which they do not have at home or in their community; the girls then become pregnant and the

cycle begins again.

The Thomas family’s, “Mother” or Ms. Thomas, does not seem to have a job, and the

most she can provide her children with is a worn down apartment, “There was no rug on the

floor and the plastering on the walls and ceiling hung loose in many places. There were two worn

iron beds, four chairs, an old dresser, and a drop leaf table on which they ate” (105). Mother has

little money for the basic necessities of life – food, clothes, and an education – that would give

her children a chance to be successful in America; an adequate supply of food would allow for

productivity, clothes – for decency that gains respect, and an education would allow for access to

higher paying jobs.

It becomes apparent that Mother is aware, and sick of, her poverty and her inability to

provide for her children properly when she says,

“If you get that job […] I can fix up a nice place for you children. You could be

comfortable and not have to live like pigs […] if you don’t get that job the relief’ll cut us

off. We won’t have any food” (11-12).

This quote also shows that mother is wretchedly unhappy with her family’s condition and wants

the best for her children, but knows that they will not live better until someone gets a good

paying job; thus, since Bigger is the first to be able to work, she must rely on Bigger for their

needs; however, Bigger does not seem to want to take on the burden of a job, that Ms. Thomas is

pushing on him, and risk losing his freedom to be irresponsible. To escape being pestered by his

mother, Bigger heads to the streets to be with his gang, fulfilling the “kids seek family in gangs”

part of the “poverty cycle”,

 “’I told you I’ll take it!’ He shouted and slammed the door. […] He was sick of his life at

home. Day in and day out there was nothing but shouts and bickering […] What was he

to do with himself? He tried to decide if he wanted to buy a ten-cent magazine, or go to a

movie, or go to the poolroom and talk with the gang, or just loaf around” (12-13).

Additionally, Bigger has no father figure at home, “He got killed in a riot when I was a kid – in

the south” (74), meaning he has no one to keep him in check, no supervision, no mentor, and no

one to be influenced by, which explains why Bigger is reluctant to get a job, and why he is easily

influenced by his friends, or gang. Bigger wants more out of life than what is offered to him by

his home, so he looks to his community for excitement; however, since he is poor, he cannot

afford entertainment that will keep him occupied and out of trouble, instead his gang provides

him with entertainment in a pastime that is unlawful – pilfering. Although Bigger’s gang did not

try to recruit Buddy, Bigger’s little brother, it is safe to say that the gang might hold influence

over him in the future, “‘Oh, yeah, […] I met Jack last night. […] Jack’s all right’” (104).

However, at the moment, Buddy looks up to Bigger, “[Bigger] always liked the adoration Buddy

showed him”(103), but, unfortunately for Buddy, Bigger is often in trouble, has an 8th grade

education (61), and is not willing to get a job so that his family might be able to fix their

condition and afford school for his siblings (74), showing that Bigger is either, or both, selfish,

and apathetic. Also, since Bigger dropped out early, Buddy must have too; yet, if Bigger would

just take up a job, his brother might gain better influences from school instead of just Bigger and

Bigger’s gang; moreover, Buddy would be able to increase his chances of living a better life than

his family, but “Bigger ain’t decent enough to think of nothing like that (12)” according to Vera,

although, that is because she is unaware of the fact that Bigger,

“hates his family because he [knows] that they [are] suffering and that he [is]

powerless to help them. He [knows] that the moment he [allows] himself to feel to
 its fullness how they [live], the shame and misery of their lives, he would be swept

out of himself with fear and despair. So he held toward them an attitude of iron

reserve” (10).

Therefore, Buddy is left a victim to the cycle of poverty; all because of Bigger’s stubbornness

and bad example. Bigger’s feeling of detachment toward his family also signifies that Bigger

lives in a false reality – that Bigger is trying to refute poverty by telling himself that he does not

need a job – because his family and him are not that poor, and he tells himself that he can get the

money he needs for entertainment easily – by stealing – allowing him complacency in his

destitute condition through denial. Bessie uses the same method to continue enduring her

“starved life (139)”, but uses alcohol, and sex as money, instead,

“She worked long hours […] seven days a week […] when she did [get] off she

wanted fun, hard and fast fun. […] It was her hankering for sensation that [Bigger]

liked about her […] He had heard her complain about how hard the white folks

worked her […] that was why, she told him, she drank. He knew why she liked him;

he gave her money for drinks.” (139).

Bessie uses her body as a way to acquire alcohol, which she cannot afford; however, perhaps

ignorantly, she is also putting herself at risk of becoming pregnant. Furthermore, Bessie uses

Bigger as a way to escape from her strenuous life through “sensation” and “hard and fast fun”.

She gains a sense of autonomy, or power, over her life with her ability to escape from it

momentarily through the sensations felt when she is with Bigger. Bessie’s sexual escape is

similar to Bigger’s adrenaline escape in the fact that both gain something they are missing from

their lives that enables the two to continue living contentedly – money, and happiness ( through

the consumption of liquor and sex by Bessie).

 Ultimately, Bigger and the characters surrounding him fit into the cycle of poverty

because they are all similarly trapped in a world that offers them a small number of

opportunities, and those that are offered to them have outcomes that are often predetermined by

people whom the character has no control over; for example, Buddy’s low chance of successful

opportunities – based on his fixed fate that is partially Bigger’s fault for being a bad example and

partly his Mother’s fault for being poor, Ms. Thomas’ limited opportunities for becoming

wealthy because of segregated neighborhoods – arranged by the real estate companies – that will

keep her from gaining help, and good advice from rich and successful people that would

surround her if she lived in a rich neighborhood; A convincing example is the loss of Bigger’s

newly gained opportunities resulting from the murder of Mary, and his execution for it, both

practically preset by Mary’s positive attitude towards blacks, and the white community’s

negative sentiments toward them. Since Bigger was used to being treated insolently by whites,

but not yet equally by Mary, Ms. Dalton’s appearance in Mary’s room, whilst Bigger was having

sexual relations with her, caused Bigger to react expecting the worst based on previous

experiences and what he had been taught to fear, “he had to stop her from mumbling or else he

would be caught (85)”. Since Bigger expected to be fired by his white employers, outcast by both

the black and white communities, and to lose his first opportunity at a better life, he figured it

would be best to make Mary be quiet so that he could elude discovery, but he accidently killed

her instead; however, if he had not “quieted” Mary, Bigger may have become notorious for

having had a relationship with Bessie and Mary, and Mary for having had one with Jan and him;

thus, the asphyxiation of Mary by Bigger was justified given that “desperate times call for

desperate measures”. On the contrary, if Bigger had been used to the equal treatment he received

from Mary and her mother, he might not have been scared of Ms. Dalton and may not have killed

Mary; therefore, Mary’s death and his loss of opportunity was a result of what Bigger was taught
to fear – White power or authority. It is affecting to know that according to Capital Punishment

for the Crime of Homicide in Chicago, if Bigger had been white, had chopped Mary’s head off

and had put her into the furnace, he may have had a smaller chance of being put to death; for, a

Black person who killed a White person between the years of 1870 and 1930 had an 100%

chance of being executed, while a White person who killed a White person had an 84% chance

of being executed right after being sentenced to death showing that “black life is devalued in

capital punishment cases”1.

In Bigger’s time, Black people were not given many opportunities to escape the cycle of

poverty because of the prejudice against them. Not all people held prejudices against “negro”

people then, a very limited few wished to change the status quo and end the cycle of poverty

through different approaches. In Native Son, these people are represented by Max, Jan, and the

Dalton family. Max would go about ending the cycle of poverty by using his power as a lawyer

to create awareness of the prejudices and problems blacks face, and how they can be changed –

not just by charity but through equality, respect and understanding, “If I can make the people of

this country understand why this boy acted like he did, I’ll be doing more than defending

him”(292). Max’s method might have a small impact on the white communal sentiment, if any;

however, Max’s method could establish a precedent or precedents, which would have an impact

on Negro civil rights. Jan believes the implementation of a communistic society would end the

cycle of poverty, because in such a society African Americans would not be subject to

oppression, and would be equal to white people economically, and socially2, “And when that day

comes, thing’ll be different. There’ll be no white and no black; there’ll be no rich and no poor”

1 Cheatwood, Derral. "Capital Punishment for the Crime of Homicide in Chicago: 1870-
1930." Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 92 (2003): 843-866. Print.

2 "Communism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Main Page - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism>
(68). Jan’s way of ending the cycle of poverty could work, but there would need to be more

supporters of communism, that is, before it is implemented. This suggests that his method would

not really work, and would only spread awareness of the issue, and possible alternatives that

could fix it. The Daltons seek to end the poverty cycle by donating to black institutions, allowing

Negroes social mobility by offering them jobs and educational opportunities,

“Bigger listened as Mr. Dalton told how the Dalton family always hired Negro boys as

chauffeurs, especially when those Negro boys were handicapped by poverty, lack of

education, misfortune, or bodily injury. Mr. Dalton said that this was to give them a

chance to support their families and go to school”(325).

The youngest Dalton wishes to use first-hand experience to gain an understanding of the

problems Negroes face in their communities, “I want to work among Negroes. That’s where

people are needed. It seems as though [Negroes] have been pushed out of everything” (76). Mary

would use her understanding of Negro problems to conceive effective ways to help Blacks get

themselves out of the poverty cycle – such as helping them to form unions, and by treating them

equally – which would show Negroes that they have been treated unjustly, and unequally all their

lives; for, it is because they do not know anything other than oppression that they do not fight

back. Mary’s method would work because by showing Negroes the rights and opportunities they

are missing out on they will want them more than previously, because as Frederick Douglass

once said,

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just

what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of

injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they

are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by

the endurance of those whom they oppress.”

In the 1930s, your skin color basically set out your life for you. If you were black, you were

oppressed and if you were white you were rich. Today, institutions are being established to help

African Americans and other poor minorities, better their condition and status in America,

Institutions such as the Boys and Girls Club, or government programs such as The National

School Lunch Programs: Free Lunch Program, Section 8, or a progressive income tax that would

help poor families afford basic necessities. The best way to end the cycle of poverty would be to

reinstate a progressive income tax and to integrate neighborhoods with a mandatory

neighborhood quota of subsidized housing to allow poor children to attend good schools and to

allow their parents to get good advice from a more affluent neighbor.