Key Ideas In Richard Wright's Bildungsroman Black Boy

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Key ideas in Richard Wright’s Bildungsroman Black Boy are developed as a result of strong motifs and vivid symbolic imagery. The passage incorporates a motif of hunger as a symbol and powerful imagery of literature to further Wright’s primary idea. Wright emphasizes the abstract values of literature to Richard the protagonist through imagery and symbolism. Hunger often arises in Black Boy in both literal and figurative meanings to advance the main idea of Richard’s development through literature to cope with society’s inequalities. Wright uses hunger to represent desire figuratively, as Richard is often hungry for information especially after he is lent a library card. His wishes drive his motivation to read and explore the previously unknown

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