Violence in Richard Wright’s Black Boy Essay - 3538 Words

Violence in Richard Wright’s Black Boy Most literary works centering on adolescence do not depict it as the proverbial walk through the park; a smooth transition between the naivet6 and innocence of childhood to the morality and self -awareness of adulthood is an implausibility confined to the most basic of fairy tales and weekday morning children’s television programming. When analyzed in depth, the mat uration process of a human being is depicted almost always as some sort of struggle, retaliation against the forces of oppression regardless of their forms (including social, political or religious obstacles). More importantly, the struggle of adolescence is a struggle to understand not the workings of one’s environment so much†¦show more content†¦(14) For African -American adolescents during the early 20 th centu ry, this crisis of identity took on an even more visceral reality through the physical, social, political and personal unrest imposed by a white -dominant society. The struggle of the African-American adolescent was not only one for self -awareness but for survival as wel, from oppression, ridicule and the hopelessness of a future devoid of achievement and possibility. Richard, the narrator of Richard Wright’s fictionalized autobiographical exploration of African -American life, Black Boy , exemplifies this cultural struggle in a society constantly hounding blacks for the color of their skin. Because the adolescent narrator’s growth process is somewhat stunted by the imprisonment of American society in the South, he turns to violence as a means of breaking o ut of his stasis. Throughout the first half of the novel, Wright’s narrator encounters/inflicts numerous instances of violence that serve to furt her his adolescent journey by promoting a â€Å"second birth† involving the active struggle for self -defense and su rvival amongst a downtrodden culture that finds peaceful resistance an al too easy and comforting method of survival. In the African -American literature prominent at the time that Wright penned Black Boy , there was a tendency for African -American authors to ilustrate a quiet rebelion prevailing among the dense, claustrophobic environment of the South under the reign ofShow MoreRelatedRichard Wright s Life Was Characterized By Poverty952 Words   |  4 PagesRichard Wright’s life was characterized by poverty which stemmed from the racial issue pervading the South. In an attempt to overcome this impoverished state, his family moved from city to city, hoping to live with a relative and share the cost of living and also to escape the severity of racial discrimination. With each move, however, Wright’s family constantly faced unjust treatment and p overty until they moved in with their Uncle Hoskins who owned a successful saloon. With a stable home andRead MoreThemes in the Novel Black Boy Essay1191 Words   |  5 PagesBook review of Richard Wrights Black Boy, 1945 Introduction: I have never seen any part of the world where it seemed to me the masses of Negro People would be better off than right here in these Southern States - Booker T. Washington - Published in 1945, Richard Wrights autobiographical novel Black Boy was to prove the contrary. It documented prejudice and oppression caused by the Jim Crow laws in the Deep South in the early twentieth century. It is an account of the difficult roadRead MoreRichard Wright’s Hunger: Analysis of Black Boy Essay901 Words   |  4 Pagesthe later twentieth century. In Black Boy, Richard Wright characterizes his own multi-faceted hunger that drove his life in rebellion throughout the novel. Richard’s hunger first manifested itself in the physical sense, a condition that would dominate and challenge his young life. 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In Black Boy, Wright tells of an unsettled family life that takes him from Natchez, Mississippi, to Memphis, Tennessee,nbsp;back to Jackson, Mississippi, then to Arkansas, back again tonbsp;Mississippi, and finally to Memphis once more, where he prepares fornbsp;hisRead More Hunger in Richard Wrights Black Boy Essay1249 Words   |  5 PagesHunger in Black Boy   Ã‚   In the troubled world in which we live in, it is almost impossible not to find someone who is experiencing hunger in any one of its forms. Whether it is for food, for knowledge, or for love, hunger is everywhere and it mercilessly attacks anyone, young or old, black or white. In Richard Wrights autobiography, Black Boy, Wright suffers hunger for love, hunger for knowledge, and hunger for what he believes is right. A constant need for love and care developsRead MoreAnalysis Of Uncle Toms Children By Richard Wright892 Words   |  4 Pagesanother way that Richard Wright was able to depict the poor social conditions of African-Americans in the South. African-Americans during the time period of Richard Wright were oppressed and were treated with violence by the whites of America. African-Americans experienced racial prejudices and humiliation everywhere, for example in Uncle Tom’s Children, Richard Wright relates his experiences with racism through playing games with white children as well as, through the violence and bigotry that he