Bigger’s killing of Bessie is a turning point in his attempt to escape after Mary’s death: to prevent Bessie from remaining an obstacle or witness, he kills her while she sleeps, then tries to conceal what he has done.

Circumstances and Decision

Bigger lies awake beside Bessie, thinking about the murder he has already disclosed to her and the evidence that has begun to emerge. He remembers Mary’s remains being found in the furnace and fears that the law is closing in. Bessie, asleep in the room, cannot be taken with him, he decides, but leaving her behind also seems impossible. He imagines that she would blame him and that her presence could expose him. These are Bigger’s calculations under pressure, not evidence that Bessie poses an immediate threat. After finding a brick on the floor, he waits until he is sure she is asleep and prepares to kill her as a way to protect his escape.

The Killing

Bigger Thomas’s resolve falters at the moment of action. Holding the brick, he pauses, panicked by the reality of what he is about to do; then his fear of the law returns, along with thoughts of Mary’s remains, Britten, and the pursuit closing around him. He acts while Bessie Mears is asleep, striking her with the brick until she is no longer breathing. The delay and renewed resolve make the killing an act carried out under pressure, but they do not make Bessie an immediate threat: she is asleep and unaware of his decision.

Concealment and Immediate Aftermath

After confirming that Bessie Mears is dead, Bigger decides that he cannot leave her in the room without risking discovery. He opens the window and lowers her body into the narrow air-shaft, then throws the pillows after her. The disposal is part of his effort to remove evidence and continue his escape; it does not erase the signs left in the room, where blood remains on the bedding and floor.

As he gathers the quilts and blanket to move them, Bigger realizes that the money is still in Bessie’s dress pocket. He considers retrieving it but refuses to go back to her, fearing that seeing her again would overwhelm him with guilt. He leaves the money behind and accepts that he will have to proceed without it. The forgotten cash makes the immediate cost of the killing concrete: even as Bigger tries to manage the practical consequences of his escape, his fear and guilt prevent him from recovering what he meant to take.

Narrative Significance

The scene’s close focus makes the sequence legible through Bigger’s narrowed attention: he monitors Bessie’s breathing, reconstructs the room’s layout, and repeatedly hesitates as fear interrupts his plan. The reader is therefore made to follow the calculations that lead to the killing without mistaking them for an immediate threat from Bessie, who remains asleep and unaware. That distinction sharpens the event’s moral consequence: Bigger’s fear of exposure governs his choices, but it does not transfer responsibility for them. His attempted escape is shaped by a continuing effort to control what can be seen and discovered, while the scene’s careful attention to his perceptions shows how little control he has over the consequences.