BOOK 1 p22—Wake-up call The first book is called fear First word is an onomatopoeia It is literally a wake up, much like the book Let me know how as you read along The first book is called fear P24—notice the fear stricken rat Diction—fear

Notice that the setting so far is hostile and with much anxiety The novel opens w/ a man anxiously beating a rat to death Does this set the stage of what is to come in Bigger’s life Yes!

28-29.—BT’s mom berates him Notice that his mom treats him essentially the same as the rest of society does The racism has penetrated their home and the people themselves to the point that they treat each other as cruelly as the world does.

P29—”Vera went behind the curtain…” Diction—notice ‘powerless’ and “behind a wall, a curtain.” BT is powerless to feel as though he can control anything—not his family, himself, his feelings, his life b/c of how he is treated and perceived The wall is a barrier that prevents him from achieving.

P33--BT has the urge, the dream Lack of $$ frustrates him P33, last para—He is stymied b/c this is not his world Notice social division— “…alien white world…” Robbing other black easier than robbing whites This prospect causes fear How does frustration illustrates white barrier?

P35—thwarted careers in aviation They discuss wanting to be pilots Whites “get a chance to do everything” “If you wasn’t black…and if they LET you…” How does this suggests the power the white social structure has? This account for their frustration It suggests they are outsiders looking in

P39, first para—extent of frustration penetrates his entire body. He refers to life as jail=barrier “…a red-hot iron down my throat.” We will see diction that describes physiological impact repeatedly. Middle—“I feel like something awful’s…” Foreshadowment

P40—sense of hope for a pigeon, but not BT Notice contrast of bird with BT and his friends The bird is free and BT is not How does this suggests an absence of hope?

P43, middle, “If old Blum…” Notice that white provokes fear P44, first paragraph, middle—Discussion of the robbery is steeped in fear Diction—notice fear, hot hate (physiology), feared, hate Notice the deep impact this robbery has on BT

P46 —Circumstances inform his life “..the rhythms of his life: indifference and violence.” Notice both similes—like water, like a strange plant—both suggest he has not control

P57, first para—Environment informs his feelings. “He was going among white people, so he…” He is going to the white neighborhood. Notice how his confidence and bravado dissipate

P59, middle para—BT’s encounter with White America He is instantly uneasy Is afraid to look at the paintings P60—Meet Mrs. Dalton She is blind in two ways--Symbolism

P61—sits like an ape Notice mental stress He doesn’t know why he is responding this way We see his inner violent desire “to wave his hand and blot out the white man…” We will see this motif repeated throughout the novel when BT feels environmental stress

P61—Involuntary submission No one asks BT to act this way It is an understood response Imagery of BT as an ape P70, below middle, “…except that girl. She worried him.” Foreshadowment

P76-77—Car ride with Jan and Mary P76—“He flushed warm with anger.” Notice his frustration with Jan His reactions are instinctual, and their impact is physiological

He feels he is in “a shadowy region, a No Man’s Land.” P77, rest of para He hates his black skin He is embarrassed to be seen w/ them He has no idea how he should respond So he feels bewildered He feels he is in “a shadowy region, a No Man’s Land.”

P78—Jan is characterized as sincere yet naïve He believes in unity and the betterment of mankind But he fails to understand how this is impossible for BT P78-9, bottom—Mary, too, is naïve She seems foolish Is she?

P79, 1st full para--BT feels tense and trapped Again we see BT’s feelings urge him “to seize some heavy object…and blot it out.” P91—What’s the answer to that question??

P85-93—Drunk Mary, dead Mary In this scene, we see BT fully seized in every way The experience consumes him fully to the point he is almost in a dream-like state P92, middle para, 1st sentence Diction—terror, seized, dream

P92—Notice words that describe his experience Words w/ physiological and psychological tension Fear, tensely, afraid, frantically

P93, 1st full para 2nd full para, last sent Clenched teeth, intimidated to the core, etc Suggests fear is so powerful that it is consuming him fully 2nd full para, last sent Mary releases her last breath— “it seemed final, irrevocable.” This suggests the finality of his fate Recall p39

P93, last para, 1st 3 lines—the white people’s influence on BT Thee people made him feel a way he did not like or want He hates this

The experience is bizzar P94, lastpara, middle “It was unreal. Like a nightmare” “he had been dreaming of something like this for a long time” The experience is bizzar He is fighting to preserve his life This is also suggesting a sense of empowerment.

P95, 2nd first full para “…body was instantly wrapped in a sheet of BLAZING terror…” Diction—connotation of heat and fear Physiologically consumed

P96—He does what??? P97—It’s naptime