Bigger and Smaller
All throughout Native Son we are given two different versions of Bigger Thomas, both of which could not be any more different from each other. We have the aggressive one who's capable of holding his friend at knifepoint and the other who must second guess trivial actions such as picking up a fallen object or responding to a simple question. However, if we look closer, both of these actions come from the same source, his deeply rooted fear. When Thomas took part of the conflict in the pool room, it wasn't out of hatred or strong feelings against Gus but to ultimately save face. The Gang had planned an armed robbery against a white store owner prior to the incident and Bigger was having serious doubts about going through. He was never strong enough to voice these opinions, instead, thrusting his cowardice onto Gus who publicly voiced his 'no' to the planned course of action. In order to save face, Thomas would threaten Gus in an attempt to hide his own fear and in a way...