The Man Who Was Almost A Man Analysis

In the short story, The Man Who was Almost a Man, the author, Richard Wright, demonstrates the theme of craving and wanting power in an extraordinary way. Power can be interrupted in many different ways, as was seen in the story. Although, a lot of times people end up mistaking power, for respect. In addition to that, even though power and respect require similar qualities, they are very different. In the short story, the main character, Dave Sanders expressed that some people create a life of searching for power, and holding the the title of respect and establishment.
One of the most obvious examples of power within this story was the fact that Dave Sanders bought himself a gun. He thought that having this gun would bring him respect and power, hoping that he will be looked at as a true man. I believe that because the main theme of this story is the search for power, that the gun represents the things that Dave does not have. These things include the major points such as, freedom, respect, and especially power. I believe that the author conveys the idea of searching for power through the symbol of the gun. Dave saw himself in a world that is trapped and powerless, so throughout the story he was trying to find a way out. Dave …show more content…
Within this short story, the theme of searching for power and idealistically, respect, was demonstrated by the author’s technique of symbols and words. The author, Richard Wright, used the symbol of the pistol to express the idea that it held power for Dave Sanders. Richard Wright also expressed the search for power in the idea that Dave left at the end of the story to find a land, and to find abilities that represented control, independence, and respect. The Man Who was Almost a Man, is a compelling short story about a man, Dave Sanders, who struggled and strived for the idea of becoming a powerful human being within a world that did not give him the chance to be such a