"Passively, he hungered for another orbit between two poles that would catch him up with the tension of hate and love" (256).
Explain what you believe this line means? What is the space the Bigger longs to be taken to? What situations, characters, symbols, and/or actions also represent this space--in the middle--between love and hate?
Think about your Love and Hate I-Chart section that asks you to think about love and hate as unstable emotions.
When Bigger was captured and held in prison, he numbed himself. He didn’t allow himself to react to any actions or words from the police and officials. Instead, he refused to talk, eat, drink, or smoke because he saw everything as being useless. He didn’t hold any resentment, anger, or intention of killing on anybody except himself because he felt that he failed in trying to fulfill his life. That’s why he wants to change his situation so he can “orbit between two poles that would let him live again; for a new mode of life that would catch him up with the tension of hate and love” (256.) I figured that Bigger wanted to either go back to the time where he felt that he had a purpose in living and was in control of his life or have a new experience that will allow him to find a new purpose for living. He wants to be caught up in the thrill of being in control which usually meant being tangled in his unstable emotions. For example, Bigger’s happiness or love at having found a connection to life is unstable because he is torn between happiness and the fear of being caught. That’s why he aimed his anger on Jan and Mary because they only showed him love while he killed Mary and blamed Jan for Mary’s death. Other people who left Bigger between love and hate were his mother and Bessie. First, Bigger detested his mother for all the nagging and responsibilities she pushed on him. Then, when he was running from the police, he was thinking about her. “It would have been easy to have lived in it, for it was his mother’s world” (238.) Bessie also kept Bigger in the line between love and hate. There were moments when Bigger couldn’t have enough of Bessie; he wanted to bind her to him. “…always keeping her there even when he slept, ate, talked; keeping her there just to feel and know that she was his to have and hold whenever he wanted to” (133.) However, Bigger also felt hatred for a part of Bessie “He wished he could clench his fist and swing his arm and blot out, kill, sweep away the Bessie on Bessie’s face” (133.) Bigger’s unstable emotions or love and hate led him to kill Bessie at the end because he couldn’t control her anymore. With the loss of Bessie, Bigger lost a part of the control he once had on life. After he was captured by the police, Bigger lost the rest of his control. Thus, he went into the state of being numb and wishing he was back in control.
ReplyDeleteFor Bigger being in between love and hate gave him a reason to want to be alive. Without a common ground between love and hate Bigger is just flesh, he's an unstable creature. He hated not being able to attain what he really loved to have. Bigger loved the thought of being free and equal on earth and he longed for freedom. One thing that stood out to me was when Reverend Hammond said, "this worl' ain' our home. Life ever' day is a crucifixion."(265) Maybe Bigger's fate isn't to be condemned by the hate that he has on the inside. Maybe his fate is to be free just not on earth. One symbol or word that kept appearing in the text is "waters". In reference to the bible "waters" represents baptism and purity. “When once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 3:20-21)Bigger didn't have freedom on earth but his mother and Reverend Hammond believes that if he accepts God into his heart and believes, that he could let go of the hate in his heart and become one with the love he has be longing for in God's heaven. His mother tells him too confess his sins (278) and cleanse his soul to become pure again which is synonymous to being immersed in the waters.
ReplyDeleteBigger was always in a battle between Love and Hate in his heart. He's has a lot of mixed emotions going on in his head. At the very beginning of the story, I felt Bigger needed help. He's confused and just has a lot going on. It's almost like he's two or three different people inside one body. He loved his mom, sister and brother but yet, he hated the way they ate, slept and lived. He felt the same way when he was around his friends. He liked being around them but hated certain things they did. He loved the way Bessie made him feel when he was with her, she made him feel like a man, but hated how she would nag him. It was a weird feeling for him when he met Mary and Jan because he never had anyone (especially white people) to treat him the way they did. He loved them for making him feel the way they did but hated them because he also thought they were making fun of him. It was no way they could really feel the way they did about him. Through all of this Bigger only goal was to be "Free". Free of all the hatred in the world and now "Free" from the murderous situation he got himself into by killing Mary. He hungered for another orbit between two poles that would catch him up with the tension of hate and love" (256) because he wanted the opportunity to live again.
ReplyDeleteThe "hungering for another orbit,"(256) is a way of saying that Bigger neither wants to love nor hate how situation. I believe that Bigger hates that his identity was "shaped" by his environment. However, even though he may not openly embrace it, he somewhat loves his family and situation. Although he fought his other on the issue of him becoming employed, he did seem to be happy that his mom cared for hime. However he was annoyed and disliked the fact that he is not what he wants to be. The "interference" of Bessie and Mary in Bigger's life also create a love-hate relationship. Bigger loves the attention that he is receiving from these women but he hates the fact that he cannot act and feel normal around these women. Bigger;s lack of knowing who he truly is and what he truly wants has ultimately led to his demise.
ReplyDeleteBigger being dragged from police station to police station, being threaten and persuade from the officer (pg254) .At this time Bigger is lost in himself, he doesn't know what love is so he turns it to hate. Bigger treats everyone that loves him as enemies. A perfect example would be Bessie, someone who cared for him but Bigger thought she might be someone who would turn on him. Bigger traps in a world of darkness and crying for help will be unless in the place he's in. i feel like Bigger pretending to be this tuff guy but in fact he's scared but doesn't want to whits to know. Bigger is starting to think that the whites are right about african american being compared to animals that need to be tamed. Bigger wants to die but as a black man he does not want to die unequal, and despised. Bigger act of being tuff stop when the police officer offer him a glass of milk after fainting. On page(258) the officer ask Bigger a question and Bigger idea of being silent broke. Bigger snaps out of a psychological stupor from the hunger and exhaustion. After drinking the milk, and waking up Bigger feel like he has to to defend his pride and keep the authorities from making sport of him. On page 261 Bigger said "When Negro become resentful over imagined wrongs, nothing brings them to their senses so quickly as when citizen take the law into their hands and make an example out of trouble nigger.Bigger feel like believe in freedom is gone out the door and that he's now giving up on life. Bigger love and hate is what got him in prison. Bigger love for people has changed from love to hate, and i believe that hate consume him to be the guy he's today. Reverend Hammon visit Bigger and talk to him about hope and love beyond life. Bigger feels guilty about the good things the pastor discuss about because Bigger feel the opposite of everything. The symbol would have to be the cross the reverend Hammon place on ne Bigger neck, the signal of purity and hope. I felt like the reverend was telling Bigger to have hope. On page 265 Bigger is breaking from the hard shell he place himself in, emotions starts leak out while talking to the reverend. The reverend said "son, promise me yuh'll stop hatin' long enuff fer Gawd's love t' come inter yo' heart.
ReplyDeleteThe love the reverend gave to Bigger cause him to realized all the people who had his back. In the beginning of the book Bigger's mother and his friends are the only one caring for him. later on Bigger works for Mary and Jan who also cared for Bigger. Bigger then shared love more by kissing Mary inside her home. He then killed her because Bigger suspect Mary of getting him in trouble and with from loving making to killing. Bigger then treating everyone different because of the way people assume black people suppose to be.
I think the quote simply means that Bigger wants to be somewhere other than where he is right now. He wishes to be in a place that doesn't judge him based off of his skin. He wants to have the same opportunities as everyone else. He feels that he acted this way because this is the only way that he could gain power. Besides, the white people expected to act in the manner that he did. This gives them reason to continue stereotyping African-Americans they way that they already do. The space that Bigger longs to be taken to is a place where there is no animosity towards someone simply because the color of his or her skin.A situation that represents the space between love and hate is when Bigger contemplated and struggled to kill Bessie. He had to continuously remind himself that she would be an issue if he did not get rid of her immediately. He had trouble killing her because he loved her. The oscillation of love and hate in this scene portrays Bigger's unstable emotions very well. A symbol that represents this space is the line that BIgger discusses. There is an invisible line that establishes where it is safe for whites to move about and live and where it is safe for African-Americans to live and move about. Either way African-Americans are treated unjustly because it is higher for goods and housing where the blacks live than where the whites live better off for cheaper. In closing, I believe that the quote also relates to Bigger wanting to go back to the state of indifference and being nonchalant so that he doesn't have to deal with what the white people are about to put him through. He doesn't want them to have that type of power and authority over him.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the story thus far, Bigger's mind has been battling with love and hate. Before Bigger received the job at the Daltons he hated himself because of how he was portrayed. He hated that he was a black man and was treated unfairly. When Bigger met Jan and Mary he hated the fact that they were trying to understand his lifestyle and culture. Yet, he was intrigued at why they didn't act like "typical white people". When Bigger killed Mary he began to love the power he had over the white society. No one knew that he was the one who committed the crime which made him feel powerful. He felt like he had a newfound authority over the white society. Upon killing Bessie, he hated himself for doing it but knew it had to be done. When Bigger was on the verge of being caught he knew he could not surrender because the power he felt like he had over the whites would be taken so he fought until the very end. Upon arriving in jail Bigger felt both emotions: love and hate. He felt love because he knew he would die with pride. He had killed a rich white girl. He felt hate because of the way society viewed him. Bigger felt that if society could understand that it was fate that caused him to kill, he would not have felt hate at all. The space Bigger was yearning for was understanding. Someone to fully understand why he did what he did.
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ReplyDeleteThrough out the entire story different aspects of love and hate are shown but during this section of the story is when the emotions are really shown. Bigger being thrown in jail made him think and realize a lot of different things. While he was in jail he did nothing it was like he felt it was pointless for him to do anything. The quote basically shows that he's basically wishing that his life would have never ended up this way. Bigger goes back and forth with him self while in prison and he's wishing that he could go back in time to change some of the things he regrets. Referring to the statement I just made on page 256 the author states "...Orbits between two poles that would let him live again;for a new mode of life that would catch him up with tension of hate and love." Bigger finds a great sense of love and power after he kills Jan because he thought that she could be his cover up for the killing of Mary but his plan actually fails.. Everything in his life that he once hated he soon found a huge love for as in, he started to regret the fact that he didn't accept the way he lived and after all he knew that wanting to live like the rich white people was just a dream. He felt all of the hate that was coming his way because of the crime he did and the color of his skin that he did it in. While he was in jail he felt both emotions but hate outweighed the love that he felt.
ReplyDeleteI think Write is trying to show the struggle Bigger is having inside himself. Bigger would rather be anywhere but where he is. His is in a predicament and so desperately wants out. "Passively, he hungered for another orbit between two poles that would catch him up with the tension of hate and love" (256). The "hunger for another orbit" is Bigger wanting out. he lost control of his life and he just wants it back. "The tension of hate and love" is what Bigger is feeling throughout this entire experience, from the moment he took the job. He loves his family, but hates them for depending on him. He wants to love the Dolton's but cant stop hating them because they are a reminder of what he seems he will never be. Now, he wants to love Jan, but can't get past his hate that she too is white. Bigger's hate for the white race runs so deep that he cannot get over it, even if he knows that it is false.
ReplyDeleteBigger had been juggling between hate and love. "Passively, he hungered for another orbit between two poles that would catch him up with the tension of hate and love" (256). He put himself in a situation where he was intentionally trying to gain more power over the whites. His mistakes was that he tried to kill Jan to cover up Mary death, but in reality he failed and was sent to jail. He ended up in jail where he will remained unequal and despised by the others. Bigger realized that his life was pointless due to an accident which he refused to reveal. He started to love the things he once hated before; for example, his family, friends, and in general his old life. Bigger had always hated the life he was living in and how the society looked down on him. He wanted freedom, but made a huge mistake and remained unequal and forever unequal. This love and hate relationship definitely represent Bigger character because even though he shown hate a lot in this novel, he also felt love.
ReplyDeleteBigger lives in a constant battle between love and hate. He never lives in that happy medium and now would be a more opportune time than ever to exhaust that idea. Being in jail is no cupcake walk and he hopes to deprive himself because he knows that the emotions he once felt drove his life right into the ground. For example, his family the love he had for his family created a resentment, a form of hatred, towards the way he feels about not being able to provide for them. He also has the same issue with Bessie, he loves her body and company and hates her mind. It's a common complex of being blind to the bigger picture that makes Bigger so unhappy with his life and in a constant throw from love to hate.
ReplyDeleteBigger has been in a long going struggle between love and hate from the beginning of the novel.He hated the life he lived before he received the job with the Dalton's and he thought he would love his new job. All the new job brought upon him was more hatred within himself, in which he caused himself. He found love in his job in the sense that he was able to get a taste of the high life that white people lived. He was able to catch a glimpse of what he was missing out on. THis caused him to love white people because the Dalton's showed him love and respect but he hated them because he knew he would never be able to live the life they were able to live by default.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the line means that Bigger wishes he could be somewhere else. He regrets what he did.He wants to rewind time to when he actually had a chance in life. He knows that he is caught and has now choice but to surrender to the authorities. However, "he hungered for another orbit" which shows that he wishes he could be somewhere else. The poles of Love and Hate are pulling Bigger in so many different directions. He longs for a place where he can have balance between and control his life the way it was intended to be. Bessie was one of the characters that represents Bigger's flux with Love and Hate. He really did love Bessie. She made him feel good about himself he wanted to "tie himself to her." however he also hated the way she would nag, also he could be jealous that she is better off than he is with her own apartment and job. Another character is Mary. He loved how she was nice and wanted to be equals with him, but he hated that he felt as though she was looking down on him and he did not know how to act around her. It confused him which is the reason he is in trouble now.
ReplyDeleteBigger Thomas is a full of hate at this point in the novel. Everything is turned upside down for him and now is in jail. Bigger was once surrounded by those who loved him the most, and in return he responded with hatred towards them. Bigger's actions are all out of spite, and getting over on someone else. He is unable to love others because he is only thinking how he can help himself gain something that he doesn't have. Bigger enjoyed the attention that he was receiving from the officers and reporters because he felt as though he was gaining power, something he felt as though he didn't have much of. Sitting in jail, "Passively, he hungered for another orbit between two poles that would catch him up with the tension of hate and love" (256). Bigger is hating himself for not showing love to those who did not turn their back on them. He wishes that he could be in the loving environment that he was once apart of. I am realizing that Bigger had no balance between love and hate and now he realizes that as well. Bigger's mom always loved him no matter what his situation was, the Dalton's provided Bigger with the best job that he had, and Bessie gave Bigger the power that he wanted to have just like the white people had. Instead of showing love towards those individuals, Bigger did just the opposite by taking advantage of them all.
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