Overcoming Fear In Richard Wright's Black Boy

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A wise man one said bravery does not come from the lack of fear but rather the willingness to face those fears and overcome them. In the autobiography Black Boy by Richard Wright, Richard had to overcome his fear of reality. The autobiography shows that overcoming fear can be difficult. This is important because people fear making decisions and the consequences that comes with those decisions. If people do not overcome their fear it can kill their chances in life and make them look back and regret.
The fear of being alone without the nurture of those one loves can make it very difficult to move through life. Wright says “I was afraid to go into the streets alone.” (Wright 1016). He overcame his fear of being in the streets by standing up for …show more content…

Wright said "The women killed something in me." (Wright 1021). Miss Simon tried to win Wright's trust, but she was unsuccessful as she managed to make him feel incredibly insecure about himself. The situation only got worse once she punished Wright, killing a part of himself, and changing him. "Each morning I vowed that I would leave the next morning, but the next morning always found me afraid." (Wright 1021). The fear of the unknown is a strong motivator, even more so when combined with the fear of having to accept fault should something go wrong. Despite this, he was strong enough to not let the fear rule him and his life, and instead he left for what he felt was best for him. "A "white" policeman came to me and I wondered if he was going to beat me" (Wright 1022). Wright knew that he had to be careful, as the policeman could prove to be racist and beat him for being black. This insecurity was created by the white supremecy that ruled over life in the U.S, but he was able to over his fears by not allowing this narrative rule over him. Overcoming fear is a difficult obstacle for any person to do, but leaving it alone will not accomplish

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