fate overall

Overall Questions - The answers may be found anywhere in all three books.
1. Do you believe that Bigger’s acts of violence are acts of rebellion and a way of rising
above oppression, or do you think they are reflex actions created by the oppression?
Cite incidents from the story to support your answer.
2. Wright, at one time in his life, belonged to the Communist Party. He left it because of
their philosophy of suppression of the individual for the greater good of the many.
What evidence is there in the conclusion of this story that the power of the individual
(Bigger) wins over the pressures of society to suppress it?
3. Support or refute the following statement with incidents from the story: Max helps
Bigger only because he wants to further the cause of communism and clear up some of
the media stereotyping of communists in America.
4. Some critics believe the themes of racism, oppression, and religion are merely rehashed
in Book Three. What is your opinion of the quality of the story in Book Three
compared to the readability and interest levels maintained in Books One and Two?
5. What is your opinion of Bigger’s sentence? Do you think he should have been spared
because he could not receive a fair trial under the biased judicial system?
6. Were you disappointed or satisfied with the ending of the story? What could have been
included in Book Three to help the reader better understand Bigger’s fate? Cite
incidents from the story to support your answer.