It is due to poverty and his family's ongoing struggle for survival that Bigger ends up becoming an accidental murderer. I would also argue that race and racism are highly prevalent themes in this story, because things would have ended very different if Bigger had not been black. This is not, however, to say that Bigger was any kind of saint.

Poverty and struggle come to the fore right at the beginning of the story. Bigger is coerced into accepting a job working for the wealthy Henry Dalton. He takes the job because his mother tells him that if he does not, the family will not be able to eat.

The themes of struggle and race are further enhanced by Bigger's difficulty in crossing the social and ethnic boundaries between himself and Mary Dalton and her boyfriend. After Bigger murders Mary and part of her body is discovered by a reporter, Bigger goes on the run. This, I would argue, comes down to race. A white man in the 1930s would have been given a chance to tell his side of the story, but not a black man.

The theme of poverty continues to prevail in book 2, since it is purely as a result of poverty that Bigger and his girlfriend, Bessie, attempt to extort a ransom from the Dalton family. When this plan goes awry, he murders Bessie. This has nothing to do with poverty or struggle—it is simply a result of Bigger's desire to stay out of prison.

While poverty and struggle are pivotal themes, the ending reveals that Bigger has lost his humanity somewhere along the line.