Last semester in African-American literature, we read a book called “Native Son”. This book
was about a man named Bigger Thomas who, out of fear, accidentally murders a white girl. I see
some similarities and some differences between Bigger and Coalhouse. They both do something to
white people that they “aren’t supposed” to do. But, Bigger Thomas runs away from his problem,
while Coalhouse Walker embraces and uses it to his advantage. Both of these characters know a
white person who is trying to help them get through their present situations.
Bigger Thomas accidentally murders Mary Dalton to prevent someone from finding him in her
bedroom. At this time, it would’ve been detrimental for Bigger to be found alone in a white woman’s
bedroom. Coalhouse Walker blows up fire stations, then takes hold of J.P. Morgan’s library.
Obviously, this makes Coalhouse look like a serious threat, and he becomes a wanted man. Both
Bigger and Coalhouse are in major trouble with the law, but Bigger committed his crime accidentally,
while Coalhouse intended to hurt people.
After committing his crime, Bigger Thomas immediately runs away to hide, while Coalhouse
makes a scene to make himself more visible to the public. I think this difference is due to the fact of
why they committed these crimes. Because Bigger committed his crime by complete accident, he
doesn’t want, nor is he mentally ready, to go to jail. Coalhouse commits his crime to send a political
message to the white race. He wants to tell society that he will not stand for their treatment of him,
and he is ready to die for his cause.
During Bigger Thomas’ time between arrest and death, Jan comes in to help him through the
trial. Jan wants to help Bigger even though he murdered Jan’s girlfriend, Mary Dalton. For Jan, this
would be a very radical move in the 1940s. A white man did not usually help and stand up for a black
man. Coalhouse Walker lets Mothers Younger Brother join his radical group. Younger Brother is a
white man who, in the early 1900s, wanted to advocate for black people’s rights. This is also
practically unheard of to do back then, as a white man.
Bigger Thomas and Coalhouse Walker may seem like completely different people, but they
actually have quite a few similarities in their stories.
When reading Ragtime & thinking about Coalhouse, I never thought about Bigger. Now that you bring it up though, it's really interesting to see how similar and different they are. One other difference I see between Coalhouse and Bigger is that Coalhouse actually cared about others - his gang, Sarah, and his son. Bigger, in my opinion, didn't seem to care about anyone but himself - he raped and killed Bessie, his girlfriend. In general, I like Coalhouse more than Bigger though Coalhouse did hurt more people and cause more damage.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t even think about this difference. Though they both committed horrible crimes, at least Coalhouse appeared to have feelings. Bigger seemed to dismiss anyone that cared about him, even when his mother visited him before he was killed. He certainly didn’t care about Bessie even though she cared a lot about him. Coalhouse seems to be committing these crimes for people he loves: Sarah and his gang. He loves Sarah so much and he wants to honor her life. But still, bombing fire stations and killing people is not the way to do that.
DeleteThis is an interesting comparison to make. There is definitely a clear difference in their motives, as you mentioned. However, I think there are some similarities in that it makes readers grapple with a morally complex situation in which they both killed people, but it's difficult to be completely mad about it. Also, it's important to mention that had any of these situations occurred with a white man as a perpetrator, it wouldn't be nearly as big of a deal. That being said, it doesn't excuse murder by anyone of any kind, but it does point to the rampant racism laced through our society.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely hard to be upset about them being killed after both of them had killed people themselves. I am a lot more sympathetic for Bigger because he truly committed an accident, for which a white man would’ve been punished way less. Coalhouse goes around bombing fire stations, knowing that he is going to kill or injure many people. I still believe he should’ve been given a fair trial, but it’s a bit more understandable as to why he was killed. White men would’ve and have been punished way less for even worse crimes than these.
DeleteBigger's and Coalhouse's stories start very differently, but conclude with many similarities. Bigger accidentally commits his crime, while Coalhouse fully intends to show how he feels about his treatment through his actions. In the end, though, they both are surrounded by police and eventually killed.
ReplyDeleteI totally missed the comparison of them both being killed in the end, though Bigger at least had a trial. Coalhouse should have at least been given fair trial, even though he most likely would’ve been killed anyone. I supposed the police thought they could get away with killing him because he appeared as such a large threat to other people. Since Bigger was around in the 1940s, maybe the police didn’t feel they had the right to kill him as much as they did thirty years ago.
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