Hunger In Richard Wright's Black Boy

Richard did not understand until later that the black community discouraged his rebellious ways because following the expectations of whites was a way to ensure survival of the community. A rebellious act of one black not only put his or her life in danger, but also his or her family and the entire black community. Richard’s need to conform to the rules of the white society for survival and his need to rebel in order to achieve his humanity and individuality was a tension that infested him daily.

When asked about the hunger problems in America one would imagine a homeless person asking and begging for food in the streets. However, what we fail to understand is that hunger is closer to us than what we think. A fellow co-worker or perhaps even the next door neighbor may be an example of someone who suffers from food insecurity. Food insecurity is when a person does not know when or where the next meal will come from. Food insecurity is most likely to develop in food deserts, a place where there is little to no fruits, vegetables and whole healthy foods. The documentary, A Place At The Table, is attempting to shed light on the argument that many Americans suffer from food insecurity because of low income and as result those individuals face various complications.

   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 Wright's autobiography, Black Boy, Wright suffers hunger for love, hunger for knowledge, and hunger for what he believes is right.

“What is a rebel? A man who says no.” (Albert Camus, The Rebel) Black Boy is more than a mere autobiography, dealing with a man during the time of Jim Crow laws. Indeed, though the book is generally advertised as such, the greater theme here is not of the black man versus the white; it is of Richard’s fight against adversity, and the prevalent and constraining attitudes of not just his time, or the “White South”, but of the attitude of conformity throughout all time. Richard develops from birth to become a nonconformist; a rebel, and we can see this attitude throughout his whole life. As a child, he refuses to simply follow orders if they make no sense to him; for this, he is lashed repeatedly. As he grows older, he begins

Desires of all types plague the human mind constantly. Certain desires are obvious and necessary, such as food and water. Others are more unique to humanity, such as education, respect, and love. When something or someone seems to stand in the way of an important yearning, desire becomes hunger. Over the course of world history, minorities have been repeatedly denied some of their most basic desires. An example would be the treatment of African-Americans in the United States until the later twentieth century. In Black Boy, Richard Wright characterizes his own multi-faceted hunger that drove his life in rebellion throughout the novel.

For centuries, the United States has been seen as a food and food-product paradise; with a constant bombardment of daily specials, “two-for-one” deals, and never ending combo options oozing from every corner of the food-scape. For many Americans, over indulgence is a frequent occurrence-studies show more than 50% of adults say they eat out at least once a week (“58% Eat at A Restaurant”, 2013). Even in this scene of gluttony, the poverty stricken and systematically oppressed find themselves in food deserts across The States; that’s more than 45 million Americans without access to healthy, reasonably priced foodstuffs. Of this group of 45 million, the African American community holds the seat for the highest poverty rate among various racial and ethnic groups at an astounding 26.2% in 2014 (DeNavas-Walt, 2015).

In Lisa Miller’s essay “Divided We eat,” she describes her usual morning breakfast that consists of fancy foods and claims that she is a food snob. She then goes into detail about what her neighbor's routine is like, and what Alexandra Ferguson’s morning routine is like. Food is typically a big issue for these families and the parents will usually spend hours thinking about how they will feed their families. Miller and Ferguson later discuss that some children don’t get enough eat, and some of these children are within five miles of them. Miller then tells us that seventeen percent of Americans are food insecure. The income gap has increased and now more Americans are becoming obese because of this.

In Janet Poppendieck's “Want Amid Plenty: From Hunger To Inequality” she argues that America puts excessive focus upon hunger issues among the poor when there are many other important issues that go unnoticed. Poppendieck believes that it is time to find a way to shift the discourse from undernutrition to unfairness, from hunger to inequality. In today's society, there are many food banks, food drives, soup kitchens, etc. Food is extremely abundant in America, therefore Poppendieck's statement is proven true when she states that there is too much focus on hunger. Throughout this text, she strongly supports her claims about hunger, equality, and poverty in general.

Richard did not like his dad because he abandoned them and left them without any food or money. He also found out later on that he would not always have the safety and comfort of his mom. When he realized this he had to learn how to take care of himself, to fight back. Once he learned all this, he had some personal growth. Mrs. Wright has wanted him to learn to fight even if he was hungry in many ways, because she knew she wouldn't always be there for him.

starts school, which he begins at a later age than other boys because his mother

In the end, Richard realize that he doesn’t think that satisfying his hunger isn’t as important as all that is happening with the world. The concept of hunger helps him understand what needs to be

To address the issue within the United States, the book Growing Up Empty: The Hunger Epidemic in America dramatically portrays the hunger found in middle- and working-class

keep your mouth shut or the white folks Ôll get you too." As a teenager Wright

Throughout The Hunger Artist, the man fasts without food for 40 days at a time gaining attention and publicity throughout surrounding areas. The publicity and previous attention dies down and the Hunger Artist eventually goes on to exceed his previous record of 40 days, eventually dying. Although this man repeatedly fasted, an act that is commonly used for spiritual growth, he is left both spiritually and physically empty. In failing to fast indefinitely (without stopping) he loses all spiritual satisfaction previously gained. This turns into a repeating cycle where the man always ends feeling both unhappy and empty. I believe that this gives insight on the theme of the story, that a false perception of reality and life in general leads to

“Hunger in America is complicated. It 's not just getting enough food, but getting the right food — and making the right choices” (Fessler). Connie Williamson has $600 in food stamps to feed her family of five for an entire month, she spends hours looking for deals and trying to stretch her dollar, yet she still finds that, "you can get leaner cuts of meat, but then they 're more expensive, or you can get fresh fruit every couple of days and blow half of your budget on fresh fruits and vegetables in a week 's time, easy” (Fessler). Mrs. Williamson admits that her kids do not look malnourished, in fact, they are a tad on the chubby side. The Williamson family is not alone, according to the CDC more than one-third of United States children are either overweight or obese. Because many of the people who are going hungry in the U.S. are also the most at risk for obesity, especially among children, the government has implemented laws in an effort to “make school lunches healthier and to expand access to subsidized meals for low-income children” (Fessler).