Analysis Of Black Boy By Richard Wright

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Nicole Berry Professor Stephen Robitaille ENC1102 Mon-Wed 11-12:15pm 31 March 2014 Fiction Essay During the Jim Crow era in the early twentieth century in the south, one major point was missing; equality. During this time the south was full of prejudice, discrimination, and racial hatred toward black people. Black people would be punished for only looking at a white person. Some of these punishments included being killed, beat, lynched, and arrested. All of these things revolved around the time period while Richard Wright was growing up. In Wrights autobiography Black Boy we learn that although he was born in such a rough time period, he is able to make his way to success. Wright was an independent and courageous boy. All throughout Black Boy we see the struggles he goes through and how tough life was for him as a child. Many of the tragic experiences Wright faces makes him the man he is at the end of the book. The main theme in this book is racism. Ever since Wright was a child he was only aware of two races, black and white. Not until a later age did he understand the difference of black and white people; this got him into a heap of trouble. A line in the book that stands out about his lack of knowledge of different races is "My grandmother who was as "white" as any "white" person, had never looked "white" to me." (Wright 31). This quote from the book shows that he sees people in his life to be white and that he isn’t aware of the difference of whites and blacks. It isn’t until later in the book that Wright is encountered with white folks. Black Boy shows a lot of racism. Wright as a young black boy tries to find his place in society throughout this book. There are several striking parallels throughout the book that can be vi... ... middle of paper ... ...ry with them, they helped him shape his life. Richard Wright, the main character in the autobiography Black Boy, was a very independent, self-respected young boy. Although he had a tough time finding his place in society, he was able to form his life from the many tough experiences he faced. Wright went through a time when it was legal to lynch and arrest blacks for no obvious reason. He was a drunk at the age of six, was separated from his brother, grew up with no father, and had to work instead of getting a good education. All of these factors in his life helped him become the successful man he was at the end of the book. As the audience is able to see the comparative, psychological, and sociological analyses it is easier to understand how and why Richard Wright became the man that he did and how he got to be successful after all that he faced while growing up.

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