Custom «Comparison between Bigger Thomas and Macbeth» Essay Paper Sample
Bigger Thomas and Macbeth are two distinct characters from different books. On one hand, Bigger Thomas is the main protagonist of the 'Native Son', in which he also appears as the embodiment of the main theme. On the other hand is Macbeth, a tragic hero in a play by Shakespeare. The two characters have some things in common that concern their life and how they grew up. They have both grown from poor and little known backgrounds, however, what they have in common is that they grew to be violent men. Bigger suffers the effects of racism as he fears whites a lot. His feelings of fear reached a point where they blew up and he grew to be very violent. In his part, Macbeth grows to be a violent individual after he learns that he would become a King later.
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However, both lived very different lives. Bigger has lived his life being poor, with his poor family in a small and cramped house in an apartment, in Southside. His entire life is defined by fear and anger towards the whites due to the racial segregation he experienced ever since childhood. On the other hand, Macbeth had been told by three witches and convinced by Lady Macbeth that he would later become King of Scotland. Lady Macbeth is his wife is a great influence his life in a huge way. After he realizes that he would become King, he developed a strange desire and ambition to become one.
Just as many blacks during his time, Bigger is not well educated and has only finished the eighth grade. This together with racism compels him to live a life full of poverty. This subjects him to a lot of negative thoughts from the society, in which the whites were seen as the sophisticated culture while blacks were merely servants. In his character, Macbeth is a powerful and brave soldier, but he fails to be virtuous as he embarks on a mission to sit attain on the throne.
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It reaches a point where both characters plan and execute their first crimes; murder. This was as a result of violent characters they had grown to be. Bigger's hatred towards whites and life in general grew to a point he started committing crimes against other people with a group of black youths. However, they are too afraid to kill a white due to the repercussions that would follow. His turning point is when he killed Mary. On the other hand, Macbeth murders just before he is crowned the King of Scotland. He kills Duncan so that he could be crowned as King. He was full of ambitions to become King and looked for the shortest way possible. As a king, he further commits a number of atrocities easily.
After killing Mary, Bigger felt that his life was in control and thought he could now control the whites. This was the beginning point of where his life had a meaning. He thought that he had gained the courage and power to assert himself over the whites who had ruled and controlled his life for a long time. Macbeth also gets out of hand by being a tyrant leader. He lacks the character of being a charismatic leader. He was best suited for the battle field as he becomes comfortable with his criminal ways.
Another similar characteristic between the two is that they both felt guilty of their crimes. Bigger feels guilty after killing Mary and goes for a series of talks with Max, who helps him to learn that the fear of whites was uncalled for. Whites were same as him; in the end he realized the fact that racism had changed his perception towards whites. Macbeth also fails to bear the psychological sequences that came with his killings. Together with his wife Lady Macbeth, they feel very guilty for being accomplices. They were both deeply in love and alienated from the real world. Both characters end up dying; their criminal ways were not tolerated by the society. Lady Macbeth was too guilty to the point she committed suicide.
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Macbeth is the opposite of King Duncan, whom he had murdered. Duncan's death meant that an order in Scotland had come to an end and the only way to have a comeback was the death of the tyrant leader, Macbeth. Bigger, a young black youth represented the powerful and disturbing position that most blacks felt towards racism. His death symbolized the end of an upsetting figure brought about by racism.
In conclusion, the two characters; Bigger and Macbeth, represent a group of people that had become obsessed with an idea of some sort. Bigger was obsessed with his being poor and racism that he had encountered ever since he was a small boy, while Macbeth was very much obsessed with power that come with being a king. Their strong desires ended up making them to commit a number of crimes against their fellow men. It is intriguing to note that they both became executed, which translates to the fact that there is no place for such criminals in the society. On one hand, Macbeth was a Scottish general who ended up being wicked by the prophecies of three witches. On the other hand, Bigger is a twenty year old youth who faces extreme life conditions. The most important idea or theme that comes out of the two is that, one does not become a hero by being wicked or engaging in criminal activities.