enter society as a respectable man so he tries and enters in other ways. While Bigger was trying to conform he eventually realized that he would be in a menial position for the majority of his life. That was not an option for Bigger and he would not except it. Bigger engages in the act of murder, he concisely or unconcisely smothered Mary Dalton to death. Bigger viewed this murder as a symbol of his power in society. In Merton's terms the murder would be an act of ritualism. This symbolized that Bigger could have some effect on society his existence was not marginal, at least Bigger viewed it in this light. Although, the crimes for ritualism usually are attributed to religious, fraternal, or feudal societies Bigger took ritualism to another level this was his way of controlling the society at large. This was the way for him to be his own man and Bigger not only murders once but he murders a number of times. Bigger was sacrificing lives in order to feel like a person in society. After Bigger goes on this killing spree he than tries to flee, he engages in the social adaptation of retreatism he wants to get away from the society that made him become a ritualist/killer. He is an outcast trying to get away from the bonds of oppression and the cycle of regression for the African American race. Bigger desperately needs to get away from society and his only way of doing that is to go in a shell where no one can get to him mentally, Bigger unable to physically retreat from society has psychologically went into a retreatist state and in turn eventually turns rebellious.Bigger inevitably turns rebellious, he has finally denounced he existence in society and becomes a revolutionist. He had always felt that black people needed to fight for change and bigger neutralized his murders by implying that he had no other choice in society he had been reduced to murder. He was rebellious because he suspected that white society had always been awar...
