Native sons

Richard Wright's Native Son is a story about a young man, Bigger Thomas, who faces the death penalty under the charges of the rape and murder of Mary Dalton. Looking at Bigger Thomas and his actions, I see a selfish, idiotic and irresponsible man who has no care for what his actions before he performs them.  After looking at his situation more thouroughly, I see that there is something larger to blame for Bigger's actions. Like Max, Bigger's lawyer, I see the society in which Bigger was conceived played a huge part in his actions. Bigger was born in a world in which he will be restricted and oppressed because of the color of his skin. He is born to be subject to the hate of others who see him as an animal. "Everytime he comes into contact with us, he kills! It is a physiological and psychological reaction, embedded in his being."(pg. 400) How can a human become something more than he is if everything he learns tells him he cannot and he should not? Bigger was not a human in the eyes of his society, he was black. Now, on to the matter of his crime, I believe he deserved the hghest punishment, in this case it was the death penalty. He committed the crime, and he tried to make money off of it. He is not innocent,and deserves to be punishment but this situation should serve as an example of what the views of society can cause. Bigger is the product of his society, but still acted on his own accord.

“Our first impressions are generated by our experiences and our environment, which means that we can change our first impressions . . . by changing the experiences that comprise those impressions.” 
-Malcolm Gladwell