Richard Wright's The Man Who Was Almost A Man

An analysis of “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” by Richard Wright shows the internal and external struggles that the main character Dave endures in his quest of becoming a man. Through the use of dialogue and symbolism, the author depicts Dave’s quest for manhood through his struggle for personal and economical freedom as well as respect. Dave is persistent in his desire to prove to those around him that he is becoming a man, which justifies his yearning of economical freedom, personal freedom, and respect. Dave believes in order to be a man, you must have a gun. He says “Shucks, a man oughta hava little gun aftah he done worked hard all day…” (Wright, pg. 860) The gun is a symbol of manhood, which is something that Dave is desperately trying …show more content…
His mother and father are constantly referring to him as “boy.” The connotations behind this word are negative. The historical usage of this word was mainly towards black men in an effort to belittle and demean them while making them appear to be invaluable and incapable of being a man. In the beginning of the story Dave told Mistah Joe that he wanted to buy a gun and he’d like to have a look at his gun catalogue, Mistah Joe responded by saying “You ain’t nuthin but a boy. You don’t need a gun.” (Wright, pg. 861) When Dave told his mother that he wanted to buy a gun, she responded with, “Nigger, is yuh gone plum crazy?” (Wright, pg. 863) Next she told him “Ah don care whit Ah promised! Yuh ain nothing but a boy yit!” (Wright, pg. 863) She then goes on to insult his ability to make decisions for himself after he continuously asks her for his money by saying “… Thas how come Ah asked Mistah Hawkins t pay yo wages to me, cause Ah knows yuh ain’t got no sense.” (Wright, pg. 863) Once again, the author sets the tone and the dynamic of Dave’s relationships with others early in the story. The tone that governs his relationships is mainly unfairness and disrespect. Dave’s internal and external struggles collide once again, hence his mother being in control of his earnings, and her and Mistah Joe referring to Dave as a …show more content…
Only this time he keeps his eyes open and shoots till there are no more bullets present. Next he looks at Mistah Hawkins’ “big white house” and wishes he could take a shot at his house to frighten him a little “,,, Jusa enough t let im know Dave Sanders is a man.” (Wright, pg. 868) He then comes to the realization that he will have to work for two years. Dave sees the moonlight gleaming on rails “… stretching away, away to somewhere, somewhere where he could be a man…” (Wright, pg. 869) This shows that Dave is aware that his struggle will continue for a very long time. As long as Dave is still treated like a boy, his quest for manhood and respect will never be attained no matter his age and despite him having ownership of a