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The Man Who Was Almost a Man Richard Wright wrote a good book called The man who was almost a man, which tells a story of a young man Dave Saunders, his struggle for life and death and his challenge between good and evil. He wanted to become a decent man and a good representative of the society he lived in, but also he wanted to overcome his family and society in his way. Gaining the respect and power so closely associated with manhood is extremely important to Dave since he has never been given the opportunities to be treated as a man. The men who work in the fields with him see him as being young and stupid. Moreover, nobody ever gave him anything. All he did was work.
They treat [him] like a mule... (Page 282) Dave sees the problem, of his manhood being ignored, as a black-and-white issue; owning a gun will prove he is a man. Most of the people who Dave talks to in the story help to fan the flames of his desire to assert his manhood, by owning a gun, because they treat him l as if he is a little boy. Daves desire to own a gun results in him precipitating the disaster of accidentally murdering a mule, and rather than being made to feel like a boy for two additional years while he works to pay for the dead mule, and shamed by the derisive laughter of a crowd of Blacks and Whites, Dave decides to run away. However, we believe that he has the spunk and stamina to survive the lessons life is sure to teach him. On the surface, the message of the story is that Black people are stupid, deceitful, unkind, violent, and a threat to White people. This is evident through Daves attitude towards Mr.
Hawkins, his boss and owner of the murdered mule. Dave senses that Mr. Hawkins only wants to keep him working and treating him like a mule, and it is this realization that causes Daves want to take a goodbye shot at Mr. Hawkins big white house (Page 282) to put a little fear in him.
Dave who was almost a man, but not quite, deserves to be called boy at seventeen and forever. Daves decision to run away leaves a white man being cheating out of fifty dollars and Dave, the black boy / man , riding off into the night with nothing but anger, a gun and no hope. However, upon further examination, Dave appears to be less responsible for his shortcomings, poor parent support and a sense of hopelessness. His desire to get a gun in order to become a man is an indication of his ignorance, and limited options. In his environment there is practically no opportunity for him to develop self-respect respect of others, and to overcome his circumstances of being treated just like a mule. He is given no responsibility, not even the chance to hold on to part of his earnings.
Daves age however is not as important to the story as other aspects of his life. In addition to being seventeen, Dave also appears to be semi-retarded and mistreated by both parents, which greatly impacts his life. This is evident through Daves childish and immature approach in begging his mother for a gun. As a result, the expectations of Dave, for himself, and from others seem to sabotage his ability to be a productive young man.
Dave does not want a gun; he wants to be a man, which is a natural and healthy desire. The fact that Dave believes that a gun is synonymous with manhood is an indication of how his environment has caused him to become delusional. Notwithstanding his poor judgment and other limitations, his pursuit of having a gun actually results in him gaining independence and becoming a man. Dave stumbles forward in this story, not backward. He is placing trust not in his solutions, but in his burning desire to become a man, and that is what pushes him forward. Many protagonists struggle with their situations and their conflict creates light along with the heat.
They learn a lesson, they have a realization, and they take a step forward. Dave burns with desire and the most critical action he takes is one with his eyes closed. He kills the mule and though he does not realize it, this sets in motion his liberation, his chance to become a man. His environment was too oppressive for him to leave in daylight, with his eyes wide open, knowing exactly what he was doing.
Growing up, maturing, and becoming a man, was not a smooth process for Dave. Life is not always an even series of progressive steps. The past is sometimes difficult to overcome, and it does not always fade away. Sometimes the past has to die, or be killed before the future can be born. This was Daves experience.
A teacher of mine once had a poster, which read, The truth will make you free. But first it will make you miserable. Dave had to kill a mule so that he would not forever be one himself. Bibliography: Richard Wright, The man who was almost a man.
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Research essay sample on Richard Wright Young Man
