Native Son - pg.287-340

"The preacher's face was black and sad and earnest and made him feel a sense of guilt deeper than that which even his murder of Mary made him feel" (284).
A feeling of remorse becomes instilled in him because he's committed a crime that has not only affected the white community but his own people also. And I knew all along Bigger had a heart in him. It took him a while to deal with this emotion because he's never experienced something like this before. He's feeling so many horrible emotions and is ashamed, "the preacher's words registered themselves in his consciousness ... he loathed it because it made him feel as condemned and guilty as the voice of those who hated him" (283). Him and his people already suffer from an oppression brought on by the white folks and Bigger's caused even more suffering thus Bigger feels guilty and most of all ashamed. Nevertheless, this preacher wants to help him by praying for him, making Bigger feel even more guilty.

"The word had become flesh. For the first time in his life a white man became a human being to him, and the reality of Jan's humanity came in a stab of remorse" (289).
Bigger has just killed the woman Jan loves and Bigger is shocked when he hears Jan saying he forgives him and wants to help him. He did not expect that at all - especially from a white man. Now he sees Jan actually believes in him, he has no idea what to do except think of Jan as a real person. So with the delayed realization of this, Bigger immediately feels remorseful. The reality of what he's done and who he's done it to has finally sunk in: "he has killed what this man loved and had hurt him" (289).

"Bigger wanted to comfort them in the presence of the white folks, but did not know how" (297).
Bigger never knows how to cope in abnormal situations. When he's put in a different situation that stimulates a new emotion he's never experienced before, he has no idea how to react. For most, it would come naturally for one to jus put their arm around a loved one to comfort. However, it's understandable why it's difficult for Bigger to convey these feelings. Bigger's been brought up in a home where he's never been comforted before. He's more of the black sheep of the family and gets scolded more than he does comforted. He's the man of the family and after years of disappointment, he's failed again. Bigger knows they deserve to be comforted but how can he comfort if he's never been comforted; not even by his family?

Question: Will Bigger gain back hope?