Richard Wright developes a fearful tone through the utilization of paradoxes and metaphors to characterize Bigger as anxious within the passage. Wright creates a fearful tone with the use of paradoxes to demonstrate Bigger’s anxiety when trying to cover up for murdering Mary. During the process of burning Mary’s body, Bigger is interrupted by the cat, leaving him apprehensive in his spot. Upon noticing the cat, Bigger’s “mouth opened in a silent scream,”(Wright 90). Bigger wishes to scream out for help, but he cannot possibly remain silent and scream to escape his current situation. Bigger remains silent to ensure he does not get caught, even though he wants to scream in terror at the sight of the white cat. Directly after, Bigger has the sensation that he is “hotly paralyzed,”(Wright 90). Wanting to run away from his current position with Mary, Bigger is motionless knowing leaving can only lead to him being the prime suspect for Mary’s murder. The …show more content…
During this process, Bigger is abruptly interrupted and startled by what he sees on the trunk. When Bigger notices the cat, he thinks “God! He closed his mouth and swallowed,”(Wright 90). Bigger is frightened by the sight of the cat within the room, placing fear upon him. It causes him to panic, instilled with nervousness, displaying how the syntax developes Bigger’s fearfulness in the passage. Realizing his mistakes, Bigger reflects that “Oh! He had left the kitchen door open. That was it,”(Wright 90). Bigger discovers an alternate excuse to soothe his extreme anxiety after perceiving the white cat on the trunk indicated by the italics. This exhibits how Bigger is attempting to lessen his sense of terror inside himself, while covering for his infelicitous deed. Ultimately, Wright’s syntax characterizes Bigger as deeply anxious in order to enforce a fearful tone that is strongly