Slavery In The Man Who Was Almost A Man

Slavery; it has been a prevalent and important part of history since the dawn of time. The very definition of it means ‘a condition compared to that of a slave in respect of exhausting labor or restricted freedom.’ The most important part of that since being, restricted freedom. In the US through the colonial days until the 19 century it was a country where white males dominated, blacks were considered powerless at the hands of their white masters. Similar to a gazelle in a lion's mouth. In the story “The Man Who Was Almost a man” the main character Dave a young black boy is living in a time period where power is disproportionate, with the disproportion not favoring him. In the story Dave has an infatuation with buying a gun that he so thinks …show more content…
Even when it comes to his home life he was powerless. His mom controls his money, even though he is the one that worked hard to earn it, and how his dad beating makes ‘his back quiver’. The gun represents his manhood, and power. Even before buying the gun Daves only concern about the gun is “Will it shoot”? He also tells Mr. Joe that “Ahm gittin t be a man like anybody else” because in his mind owning a gun and becoming a man go hand in hand. Once buying the gun dave feels a sense of entitlement saying, “Could kill a man with a gun likes this. Kill anybody, black or white”. He feels so powerful that even after he shoots the mule he still feels entitled to shoot at Mr. Hawkins “t let im know that Dave Saunders is a man”. There is not true reason Dave needs the gun, when his mother asks what he is going to do with it Dave's response is “Ah’llhide it, Ma. It ain but two dollahs” he only wants it to give himself the impression that he is in fact a man. Not only does the gun represent Dave's yearning for power but also his false notion of adulthood. Dave thought process is that if he owns the gun adulthood will be thrust upon him and, he will get everything, including respect from his peers, and his parents. That’s what Dave thinks adulthood is about, respect, but little does he know adulthood is nothing like he thought it …show more content…
A mule does the jobs no one else wants to do and it works with very little compensation or respect for their effort. In this story the mule symbolizes Dave’s and how he is a beast of burden. Dave often in the story compares himself to the mule saying “Nobody even gave him anything. All he did was work. They treat me like a mule, n then they beat me”. They treat him horribly almost like a mule, he works and he works for nothing. Also then Dave is going to have to work two years alone to pay off the burden of the killing the mule. Not only does the mule represent Dave as a beast of burden but also the reality of adulthood. Dave assumes adulthood is this easy thing that he can achieve by owning a gun, but adulthood is about responsibility and work ethic, two things David does not posses. For example after killing the mule David refuses to take responsibility for when asked what happened he “took a deep breath and told a story he knew nobody believed”. Also right after shooting the mule “He looked in the direction of home, wanting to go back, wanting to get help”, he doesn't want to be alone in taking the burden of killing the mule all by himself, he wants someone to come help him and lessen the burden. But that’s not what adulthood is, adulthood is standing on your own two feet and taking responsibility of your actions, not “standing helpless” like Dave