Native Son Response

Of all the white characters in the novel, Max is able to see and understand Bigger most clearly.He speaks to Bigger as a human being, rather than simply as a black man or a murderer,which gives Bigger the chance to tell his own story for the first time in his life. Max's recognition of Bigger's humanity allows Bigger to understand for the first time that a sympathetic relationship between a whits man and a black man is possible. But at the same time, Max is unable to avoid viewing Bigger as a symbol of racial oppression and is never able to understand him clearly. I think the relationship between these two characters changed both of their lives.