Themes Of Racial Discrimination In Big Black Good Man By Richard Wright

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Racial discrimination, oppression, and poverty, these are the main themes that Richard Wright recalls within his stories. Wright grew up in Mississippi during a time of extreme hardships and prejudice. He is the son of a sharecropper and the grandson of slaves (“Wright Biography” 1). His background and experiences are incorporated into his stories and offer a glimpse into the uncontrollable crime of being too big, too black, and simply too scary. Wright’s narrative “Big Black Good Man”, tells the story of how being a certain way instantly conveys a preconceived opinion. In the beginning, the protagonist Olaf is filled with fear and repulsion at the sight of Jim, a black giant. Olaf’s thoughts, views, and negative descriptions of Jim further …show more content…

To Olaf, Jim is seen as nothing more than a “huge black thing” ( Wright 209). Jim is given animal characteristics which in turn dehumanize him (Gale 6). The best representation of this is seen on page 213 when Olaf carefully gives Jim the money. Olaf is so disgusted that he does everything in his power to avoid touching Jim (Wright 213). After all, Jim is nothing more than a beast with “gorilla like arms” and “mammoth hands” (Wright 213). Olaf’s fear continues to describe Jim as a nightmare. Olaf is harsh with his choice of words and uses insults to make himself feel better. Olaf’s reactions and quickness to deem Jim a bad man show his inability to rightfully judge people. At first glance, Olaf is convinced that Jim is a cruel and threatening man. This unprovoked opinion is linked to Jim’s appearance and does not reflect the true man that he is. Analysis of Olaf’s feelings and thoughts depict the prejudiced nature of a white man against a too big, too black, and too scary American sailor. As stated, it is neither Jim’s skin color nor size that irritates Olaf, but the combination of the two (Gale 5). After all, as Olaf sums up, “God oughtn’t make men as big and black as that” (Wright 211). The intoleration of men is linked to a prejudiced opinion and belief that everyone should act and behave like them. It is this same belief that filled Olaf and made him judge Jim before getting to know

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