Essay The Man Who Was Almost A Man by Richard Wright

The Man Who Was Almost A Man by Richard Wright In life, there are many decisions that everyone must make. And with decision-making comes consequences, some that we are ready for , and some that we may not be ready for. The author of The Man Who Was Almost a Man, Richard Wright, portrays a young man who wants to be a man, but shows that he is clearly unprepared for manhood and the consequences that come with that responsibility. Through decision making based on self interest, wanting to gain respect from his family, and wanting to prove his dignity, Richard Wright brings forth the main character, Dave, a seventeen year old boy, whose actions show that he is only almost a man. Throughout the story, many of Dave?s†¦show more content†¦In Dave?s case, his immaturity was displayed and showed that he was not yet ready to be a man. With Dave feeling as if he is no longer a boy, he felt he deserved respect. Dave wanted the entire town to respect him but really yearned for it mostly from his parents. He worked hard in the fields and the money that he earned went to his mother. ?Ol? man Hawkins give yuh mah money yit?,? Dave said to his mother. He felt that since he did the work, then he should get the money, or at least some of it. After killing the mule in an accident, Dave also wanted to regain the respect of his boss and the other townspeople. They tormented him for his immaturity and he wanted badly to change his perception and earn his respect back. ? All the crowd was laughing now.? The townspeople were laughing at ?Dave right after he accidentally shot the mule. ?Dave really wanted to be treated like a man but it seemed as if it would never happen. ?Damn em all Nobody ever gave him anything. All he did was work. They treat me like a mule, n then they beat me.? Dave was not ready for the consequences that he would have to face for shooting the mule. It was an accident but he had to stand up to it. ?Dave?s decision to purchase the gun was questionable but his decision to disobey his mother by hiding the gun was more insane. The author of ? The Man Who Was Almost a Man,? Richard Wright, developed a beautiful title for this short story becauseShow MoreRelatedThe Man Who Was Almost A Man By Richard Wright1896 Words   |  8 Pagesof the most important moments in a man’s life is when he realizes he is no longer a boy. Often times this evolution in social status occurs without deliberate attempt. In the literary work entitled, â€Å"The Man Who Was Almost a Man†, Richard Wright outlines a story about a young boy named Dave, who struggles with his own perception of manhood. Throughout this story Dave wrestles with the societal concept of hegemonic masculinity and tries to force his way into manhood. Hegemonic masculinity, a pot entiallyRead MoreSummary Of Richard Wright s The Of The Man Who Was Almost A Man 1031 Words   |  5 Pages224 10 November 2015 The Struggle to Manhood In the world of â€Å"The Man Who Was Almost a Man†, Dave is the seventeen year old main character and narrator of Richard Wright’s short story. Dave is an African American sharecropper who lives with his family on a white plantation owner’s land. Set in the Jim Crow South, independence is a trait that not many Americans possess. Under Jim Crow laws, the status of an African American man is undermined. It is humiliating to many of the men it affects becauseRead MoreRichard Wright s The Man Who Was Almost A Man And William Faulkner s Barn Burning1248 Words   |  5 Pagesas they are impressionable at an early age. Father figures play a critical role in the development of the main characters in both Richard Wright s The Man Who Was Almost a Man and William Faulkner s Barn Burning. Moreover, both stories focus on adolescent males who are running from their past in search of a better life. Wright wrote about an African-American boy who tries to grow up too fast , while Faulkner’s is the story of a white kid growing up with a the moral dilemma of right from wrongRead MoreClassic Coming of Age Stories in A White Heron by Sarah Orne Jewett and The Man Who Was Almost A Man by Richard Wright935 Words   |  4 Pagestheir first move into adulthood. In a sense, these stories show the protagonist shifting from innocence to gaining experiences. The two coming of age stories that we read in class were â€Å"A White Heron† by Sarah Orne Jewett and â€Å"The Man Who Was Almost A Man† by Richard Wright. Both being coming of age stories, they have similar features but were different in the sense that one protagonist seemed to have made a shift into adulthood whereas one did not. Starting of with â€Å"A White Heron†, the story startsRead MoreThe Man Who Was Almost A Man Character Analysis1496 Words   |  6 Pagessomeone who you could meet in the real world. In good fiction, the reader will be able to immerse themselves i nto the book so well that the reader will forget that they are even reading a story. An example of good fiction would be â€Å"The Man Who Was Almost a Man† by Richard Wright. Wright’s main character Dave possesses the three necessities that would make him a convincing character where Dave’s behavior is consistent, his words and actions spring from motivation, and he is a character who you wouldRead MoreEssay on Richard Wrights The Man Who Was Almost a Man1658 Words   |  7 PagesRichard Wrights The Man Who Was Almost a Man The Man Who Was Almost a Man is a fictitious short story about an uneducated black boys quest to become a man. Growing up in the early 1900s was a very hard task for most black people. The lack of education was one of the hardest hills they had to overcome to make it in a world dominated by whites. The story centers upon one 17-year boy who has very low self-esteem caused by his peers. He believes that owning a gun will gain him respect withRead MoreElla Wright : The Single Biggest Factor That Shaped His Life892 Words   |  4 PagesElla Wright was â€Å"the single biggest factor that shaped his life,† the life of Richard Wright that is. Ella Wright was an extremely strict and firm mother. She was left by her husband (Richard father) to raise Richard and his little brother all alone, but just like other women who husband leave them for another women, Ella Wright slowly started to lose herself. Not only did the abandonment from Richard father effect Mrs. Wright but it also took an extreme toll on young Richard though he do not speakRead MoreRichard Wright And Malcolm X1167 Words   |  5 PagesRichard Wright and Malcolm X are two African Americans that struggled so much in the pursuit of knowledge in other to gain power and figure. Richard wright is from Natchez, Mississippi; he was in the south around the year 1925 and worked for the white men helping them get books from the library. During the process of obtaining books for the white men, he wants to read and know of the black history. Malcolm X is from Omaha, Nebraska, he was in prison for burglary, during his time in prison then cameRead More Man Who Was Almost a Man Essay653 Words   |  3 PagesWhat does it mean to be a man? How does one qualify for the title? Is the term man simply referring to male human beings, or does it hold a greater measure of meaning in society. In order to get more insight into this subject matter, I consulted, The Tormont Websters Encyclopedic Dictionary. As I anticipated, the first definition for man stated as following: An adult human being as distinguished from a female. This definition, did not surprise me, but what did ,was what followed it , it stated:Read MoreRichard Wright s Writing Style1731 Words   |  7 PagesIt is probably a mere accident that I never killed, states Richard Wright during an inte rview. (Kinnamon 596) Often times, an alternative people would turn to would be violence in a way to escape the world they lived in, but one man held so much inspiration over a society that was and still is shaded by prejudice. What many fail to realize is one can transform the direction of the way society works simply by using words. Because of Richard Wright’s writing style, he depicts the racism and bigotry