Native son

Serving as the Public Defender on Bigger's behalf, "Mr. Max" comes under attack mainly because he is a Communist as well as a Jew. From his own experiences, Max is better able to understand Bigger in comparison to the other characters. As a Jew, he understands systemic racism. Nonetheless, Max is initially motivated to defend Bigger for purely political reasons. He ultimately comes to "see" Bigger as an individual and their relationship at the novel's end is the closest that Bigger ever comes to sharing himself with another person.