Native Son, Boris Max's Defense

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“Innocent until proven guilty” was the basis for the defense that Boris Max provided for Bigger. Richard Wright went into great detail on the defense of Bigger in his book Native Son. He showed how much this one trial meant to Boris Max. Boris Max stayed up many nights and could not sleep at all. Why did Boris Max want to defend Bigger, who was obviously guilty of murder though he had tried to blame it on the Communist Party? Max thought that Bigger’s environment caused him to commit the murder and it was done as an act of self-realization. Also, Max thought that this trial was a step not only for Bigger, but for the whole African-American race and other minority groups. Although Max went into the trial with a handicap, his defense was very powerful.


First, Boris Max thought Bigger’s environment led him to his murder. Bigger lived in the Black Belt of Chicago and had very poor living conditions. Bigger, Buddy, Vera, and Ma all lived in a house together and when they woke up, the two boys had to avert their eyes while the other two got dressed. Also, the story opened with a rat entering into the room. Buddy and Bigger captured the rat and Bigger then killed it. Richard Wright described the sensation that Bigger got when he killed the rat. It says that he felt powerful after he had killed the rat. Also, Max points out that Mr. Dalton was to blame for the environment in which Bigger lived. Bigger lived in one of the houses that Mr. Dalton rented out. Max points out that Mr. Dalton would not let any of the black families rent in the other parts of the besides the small, run down Black Belt. Since Bigger was forced to live in this neighborhood, he had never interacted with a person of another race. Naturally, Bigger grew up to be scared of the white race because he had never related with them. When Bigger was in the room with Mary Dalton, he feared for his life. He did not realize what he was doing. He was just acting out of fear of the white race. The last point Max makes in the defense of Bigger concerning his environment is how the law handled the previous crimes of Bigger. Bigger had been in many little scandals before and had never really been punished. He had been sent to reform school once, but he still continued with his crimes. Max continues on to say that not only the environment caused this murder, but it was a big part in the whole situation.


Secondly, Boris Max felt that the murders were done in an act of self-realization. Max’s first point on this subject led back to the slaves who first came over to the new land. Out of all the men and women who came over, the whites were lucky and ruled the lands. The blacks were enslaved, but eventually set free. Max then proposes the question of whether they were really set free. The blacks could only live in certain places and only have certain jobs. They were still under the rule of the white nation. The only thing that had changed from the 1700’s till the time of the story was that the blacks were getting money for practically the same work. How does this affect Bigger? Ever since the blacks came over to the new world, they had been searching for an identity. They were part of the lowest class in the nation. To the whites, every black man was the same. Max points out that if Bigger went to prison, he would be happy because he would be identified, even though it would just be a number. Next, Max brings up the issue of war. He says, “Do men regret when they kill in War? Does the personality of a soldier coming at you over the top of a trench matter? No! You kill to keep from being killed.” How does this relate to the trial? Max goes on to tell how the soldier returns back to his land free. He then connects it to Bigger by saying, “This boy, with his hands stained with the blood of Mary Dalton, felt that he was free for the first time in his life.” He also talks about how people will feel free when they get caught up in a task. Bigger was so involved in the murder and trying to work everything out, that he had felt free. Richard Wright had Boris Max talk about how people can get caught up in religion, politics, art, science, and industry, but how many of these can the black nation actually participate in? The blacks can only get involved in one! They can only get engaged in religion but it is only a primitive form. The point is that the black race has been denied all rights to any organization that would allow them to have a sense of unity and identification. Since Bigger and all other blacks were excluded from these activities, their every thought is a potential murder. Max says that it is a psychological and physiological problem. Max’s most powerful point in this section was when he said, “Your Honor, remember that men can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as they can from a lack of bread.” Max is saying that when a man is hungry, he will do anything to get some bread, even if he has to commit a crime to do so. Likewise, a man who is lacking self-realization will try anything to establish himself in the world. He will even go as far as Bigger and commit an unthinkable crime. This argument can be backed up by showing that Bigger wanted to look at the newspapers just to see his name in the papers. He only wanted to get attention and figure out who he was.


Lastly, Boris Max wanted this trial to be a victory for all African-Americans and other minorities. Bigger was at a big disadvantage when he came into the trial. First, he was black. Bigger had already been judged by the color of his skin. The media had already publicized the event and the mob had already grown to hate Bigger. Also, the white jury had read the newspapers and had their own ideas about Bigger before he had ever stepped foot into the court room. He continues on to say that it would just be easier for the jury to say, “Kill him. Burn him.” This would not solve the problem though. If one black boy was killed or even if one black person was killed every day of the year, the black revolts would not end. The black race would just be outraged and more murders would be committed. However, Max did not view this as a trial just for the black race. He then says that Bigger had committed many more crimes but that they would never find the evidence because Bigger had killed in his heart. He has been deprived by the white world. He is just a simple black boy who is trying to make himself known in the white world. Max says, “Every glance of the eye is a threat.” This shows that Max felt that since Bigger was black and he feared the white race, his every thought and action was a potential murder. He also says that his actions are a protest trying to get equality. Max’s last point is comparing Bigger’s death to the ones of the blacks who had been lynched. He proposed the question of why this one death would be any different from the killing of slaves?


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Richard Wright dedicated almost half of a section on the defense of Bigger given by Boris Max, the communist. Why did he want to put so much emphasis on this point? Some will say to show his beliefs in communism and capitalism, but the true reason was to prove to readers that the environment of a person growing up can cause him to act certain ways. In Native Son, Boris Max’s three main points for the life of Bigger were his environment caused him to live the way he did, it was an act of self-realization, and it would have a lasting effect on the minority groups. Although Max does not influence the jury enough to let Bigger get life in jail, his arguments were very sound. Max ends by making reference to killing each other when we have so much hatred toward a certain race when he says, “With every atom of my being, I beg this in order that not only may this black boy live, but we ourselves may not die.” Max’s words left a lasting impression on Bigger, but unfortunately not on the jury. They found him guilty and sentenced him to death.





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