Native Son Characters: Full List & Analysis

Who drives the story

Main characters

Bigger Thomas

A twenty-year-old Black man in Chicago's South Side, poor, angry, and terrified of the roles white society allows him. One accidental killing unlocks a violence he barely understands, and he dies claiming it made him feel alive.

Appears in:: Part 1: Fear: A Rat, a Job, a Robbery That Never Happens; Part 2: The Smothering and the Furnace; Part 3: Flight: Bones in the Ashes, a Brick, the Rooftops; Part 4: Fate: The Trial and the Smile
Themes:: Fear as a way of life; The trap of being a symbol; Violence as self-creation; Whose crime is it?; Religion as surrender

Mary Dalton

The wealthy white daughter of Bigger's employer, friendly with Communists and careless with Bigger's dignity. Her accidental death in her own bedroom sets the entire tragedy in motion.

Appears in:: Part 1: Fear: A Rat, a Job, a Robbery That Never Happens; Part 2: The Smothering and the Furnace; Part 4: Fate: The Trial and the Smile
Themes:: Fear as a way of life; Violence as self-creation

Bessie Mears

Bigger's girlfriend, a poor woman who drinks to escape her life. He drags her into his ransom scheme, rapes her, and kills her with a brick to silence her.

Appears in:: Part 2: The Smothering and the Furnace; Part 3: Flight: Bones in the Ashes, a Brick, the Rooftops; Part 4: Fate: The Trial and the Smile

Boris Max

The Jewish Communist lawyer who defends Bigger, arguing society itself created him. He gets Bigger's confession and his final, shattering declaration, and leaves the jail unable to answer it.

Appears in:: Part 4: Fate: The Trial and the Smile
Themes:: The trap of being a symbol; Violence as self-creation; Whose crime is it?

Jan Erlone

Mary's Communist boyfriend, whom Bigger frames for the ransom note. He forgives Bigger in jail and asks to help him, a mercy Bigger can't comprehend.

Appears in:: Part 1: Fear: A Rat, a Job, a Robbery That Never Happens; Part 2: The Smothering and the Furnace; Part 4: Fate: The Trial and the Smile
Themes:: The trap of being a symbol

Mrs. Dalton

Mary's blind mother, whose entrance into the dark bedroom triggers the panic that kills her daughter. Her blindness mirrors the white world's refusal to see Black suffering.

Appears in:: Part 1: Fear: A Rat, a Job, a Robbery That Never Happens; Part 2: The Smothering and the Furnace
Themes:: Fear as a way of life

Bigger's mother

A devout Christian worn down by poverty, praying while her son dresses and shaming him for his behavior. She kneels in his cell begging him to save his soul; he refuses.

Appears in:: Part 1: Fear: A Rat, a Job, a Robbery That Never Happens; Part 2: The Smothering and the Furnace; Part 4: Fate: The Trial and the Smile
Themes:: The trap of being a symbol; Whose crime is it?; Religion as surrender

Also in the story

Supporting characters

Mr. Henry Dalton

The philanthropic slumlord who owns the real estate company renting Bigger's family their rat-infested room. He hires Bigger, donates to Black causes, and never sees his own hypocrisy.

How they are connected

Key relationships

Mary Dalton Bigger Thomas
The wealthy white daughter of Bigger's employer, friendly with Communists and careless with Bigger's dignity.
Mary Dalton Bigger's mother
The wealthy white daughter of Bigger's employer, friendly with Communists and careless with Bigger's dignity.
Bessie Mears Bigger Thomas
Bigger's girlfriend, a poor woman who drinks to escape her life.
Bessie Mears Bigger's mother
Bigger's girlfriend, a poor woman who drinks to escape her life.
Boris Max Bigger Thomas
The Jewish Communist lawyer who defends Bigger, arguing society itself created him.
Boris Max Bigger's mother
He gets Bigger's confession and his final, shattering declaration, and leaves the jail unable to answer it.
Jan Erlone Bigger Thomas
Mary's Communist boyfriend, whom Bigger frames for the ransom note.
Jan Erlone Mary Dalton
Mary's Communist boyfriend, whom Bigger frames for the ransom note.
Mrs. Dalton Mary Dalton
Mary's blind mother, whose entrance into the dark bedroom triggers the panic that kills her daughter.
Mr. Henry Dalton Bigger Thomas
The philanthropic slumlord who owns the real estate company renting Bigger's family their rat-infested room.
Mr. Henry Dalton Bigger's mother
The philanthropic slumlord who owns the real estate company renting Bigger's family their rat-infested room.

Go deeper

Native Son themes & symbols

Fear as a way of life · The trap of being a symbol · Violence as self-creation · Whose crime is it?

Themes explained

Read the full Native Son summary

The full story act by act, the ending explained and a quick quiz.

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