Question

The narrator says of Bigger, "He had murdered and created a new life for himself." What does this antithesis suggest about the view of American society presented in Native Son?

Answer 1

This antithesis shows that by destroying life, society develops a sense of control, fullness and completeness.

Step-by-step explanation:

The antithesis is a figure of speech that allows the same sentence to present two opposing ideas that complement each other in some way. The antithesis, can be seen in the line "He had murdered and created a new life for himself," present in the novel "Native Son".

"Native son" tells the story of Bigger Thomas, a young black man who suffers all the prejudices and abuses of society in relation to blacks and the poor. The sentence "He had murdered and created a new life for himself" shows the moment when Bigger decides to destroy his own life in order to make sense and take control of himself. This shows how society feels in the power of its own existence when it is destroying, harming and killing other living beings.