What was the scottsboro?

The Scottsboro case is a comparable parallel to Bigger's case. This comparison denotes the presence of communist ideas. The entire analysis for the following quote is available on gradesaver;

"Book Two makes several allusions, many of them to events well within Wright's social context as he was writing in 1939 and 1940. Wright makes references to the Scottsboro boys, and the "Lindbergh" and "Loeb" cases, situating Native Son within a certain vein of criminal-suspense novel. At the same time, Bigger's thoughts of how to commit a successful crime reveal that the tabloids are a poor education for the would-be murderer/kidnapper. Similarly, Jan's faith in the communist revolution is girded by the "Scottsboro boys" case. The hysteria and unique circumstances regarding these cases are ultimately of little value for the young, misguided characters. Wright's other major allusion in Book Two is to the ancient Greek dramas. Particularly in the "Oedipus" trilogy, the motifs of "hubris" and "blindness" were intertwined and Wright makes several direct allusions to the "tragic hero" whose angry pride leaves him spiritually blind. Bigger's fate robs him of his life, but this can only happen after his rage has robbed him of his sight."