'The Man Who Was Almost A Man'

In the story a young boy decides to go hunting in the night and goes through a revelation as he witnesses an everyday act of the battle between light and darkness as the sun rises. Although set in a different place and time, both authors express a common universal theme: life is a constant battle between light and darkness in our everyday lives. This theme can be seen through a compare and contrast of powerful symbols, transforming settings and misguided characters.

Throughout this course, I have discovered that literature is more than just words being brought together by an author to form an emotionally charged story. Literature provides an engaging outlet into an imaginary realm to its audience. As the reader is captivated by the story, poem or play, a, emotional connection is established.

The most obvious symbol mentioned in this story is the gun. Throughout the story, the gun is constantly shown as a symbol for power, as well as masculinity and independence. Several times throughout the course of the story the narrator states, “If anybody could shoot a gun, he could” (Wright 222). In the fields, Dave is treated as a child, and he believes that he is an adult and should be treated as once, which includes owning a gun. Dave is disillusioned by the gun, and believes that it will solve all of his problems and strengthen his weaknesses, including granting him independence. Dave fails to realize that not being able to properly operate a gun only relinquishes freedom. This can be further evidenced when Dave accidentally shoots Jenny, the mule. This situation should have put an end to Dave’s obsession with power and guns, but instead he was still fascinated, demonstrating his lack of maturity and development. Overall, the gun demonstrates the maturity, independence, and developmental level that Dave wishes to achieve, but severely lacks.

In life, there are many decisions that everyone must make. And with decision-making comes consequences, some that we are ready for , and some that we may not be ready for. The author of ' The Man Who Was Almost a Man,' Richard Wright, portrays a young man who wants to be a man, but shows that he is clearly unprepared for manhood and the consequences that come with that responsibility. Through decision making based on self interest, wanting to gain respect from his family, and wanting to prove his dignity, Richard Wright brings forth the main character, Dave, a seventeen year old boy, whose actions show that he is only 'almost a man.'

What is the point of any piece of great literature? Or rather, what is great literature? Some would say that accomplished literature is a way of exceptionally telling a story. However, what is the point of storytelling? In many cases, stories are told for entertainment. However, most stories have a moral or theme conveying an important message about life or how to live it. This is the point of great literature, to convey this message beautifully. Some pieces of great literature are The Story-Teller, by Saki, Geraldine Moore the Poet, by Toni Cade Bambara, and Enemy Territory, by William Melvin Kelley. To understand the themes of great literature, you must also understand how to analyze it. The content

In’’ The Man Was Almost a man ’’Richard wright develops a theme of maturation. The narrator tells the story in the third-person point of view, with presenting the action of the other characters, while only presenting the thoughts and action of Dave Saunders. “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” is coming of age story where the protagonist Dave , a seventeen-year old African American boy makes an immature decision that he though was the adult thing to do, and with the hopes of proving that he was a man. Unfortunately , Dave ‘s lack of maturity and experience , purchasing a gun lead to irreversible, Unfortunately , Dave’s lack of maturity and experience , purchasing a gun lead to irreversible, unwelcoming events that brought about unfavorable

Everyone who was ever born, will receive two things in their life; a birth and a death. In between those two significant events falls time. During that time, most of us will live long enough to experience growing pains. Such as: love, heartbreak, joy and sorrow. However, the things that can make a man, a man, could make a man a misfit. We will explore two short stories “The Man That Was Almost a Man” and “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. We will discover the similarities and differences of each and explain that even though they are separate stories that they can be linked together to create an epic tale. “The Man That Was Almost a Man” written by Richard Wright and published in 1940. Is about a young man who want to be a man. He believes that owning a gun will make him a man with hope that people will start to respect him and view him as such. He succeeds in purchasing a gun but, things get hectic when he fires it in the woods. Instead he accidently kills a mule. When he finally confessed about his misdeeds the crowd which gathered around his confession starts laughing at him and makes him feel even more childish. He then recovers the gun he hid fires off the rest of the rounds and hop a train going anywhere.

In Richard Wright’s ‘The Man who was Almost a Man,’ the message is people finding their true self. Dave Saunders is one that does not know his place in the world. At this moment of life, he feels like he is a man and everyone should show respect. To achieve this sense of manliness, Dave buys a gun. This backfired and he runs away on a train, leaving every he knows behind without a notice. Looking at Wright’s early life, he himself left home to pursue adventure and find himself. Wright can be compared to Dave, since the cultural scene was racial, the status of the families, and the relationship of the families, which is what every thing about, are all push factors for them to leave the place they called home.

The Man Who Was Almost a Man is a short story by Richard Wright contained in a book with a collection of eight stories. Four of the stories begin with the phrase “The Man Who…”. The phrase implies that the protagonists from these stories are universal figures signifying everyman. In Wright’s The Man Who Was Almost a Man, the lead character David Saunders (Dave) represents the adolescent aspect of humankind and the struggles associated with being a teenager.

Richard Wright’s “The Man Who Was Almost a Man”, is written in the style of a lower class black. Wright published this story in 1961, which was a year of civil right movements for people of color searching for social equality. The story is set in the rural south in 1961 where Dave, the main character, wants to buy a gun to prove himself a man. Dave’s reason for this depicts his struggles with racism and poverty. He lives a life where he is trapped in servitude by Mr. Hawkins, the plantation owner, and Joe, the store clerk.

The Man Who was Almost a Man by Richard Wright is a story about a boy, Dave Saunders, who struggles to gain power during a time of poverty and racism. Writers such as Richard Wright are known as Naturalism writers, in which they often write about characters that face environmental, economic, or social forces that they have no power over and are able to overcome. It was by stated that “In Naturalist novels, humans are doomed by their own shortcomings.” (XXX). Naturalism means that people’s choices are predetermined and we have no way to control them, in “The Man Who was Almost a Man”, Dave Saunders is made to be a servant to racial hardship.

Clad in metallic, reflective armor, the boy marches through the city streets that he protects every night when he goes to sleep. The world he’s dreamed up has everything he could have imagined- golden sun in the afternoon, tall trees whose leaves shake with every gentle breeze, and the dazzling beauty of the princess he has befriended. The city is ecstatic; the tall castle stands victoriously as the townspeople celebrate their triumph against the wicked witch. However, the boy’s vision changes quickly, as a menacing darkness begins to loom over the sky, and he grips his sword, ready to fight for his kingdom. It seems that he cannot react fast enough, that suddenly the darkness becomes too much for him, and the shadows crawl out from between cracks in the castle wall. Fog creeps over the cobblestoned paths, and the celebration of the joyous citizens is drowned out by a low, ghostly groan. The beautiful summer day has evaporated, the deep grey clouds are rolling through the sky, and the boy notices they’re almost shaped like hands, the same

Short stories are defined as pieces of fiction in literature which can easily be read in one sitting. Each short story tends to have a certain meaning or theme behind it, followed by structural elements. These themes and structural elements are significant in impacting one’s reading experience. Each short story is created with the author’s willingness to make you reflect, or think back on your own experiences. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, A Rose for Emily, and The Things They Carried,” are all short stories which involve these specific characteristics.

There are different forms and examples of exemplary and classic literature which have been deemed as significant works that are highly esteemed worldwide. These examples of literature would awe the world with how much literary skill they entailed when they were composed and written: attention to details as to formation of characters, the most crafty of plots, the most eloquent speeches and lines, the most astounding of twists of scenes, and most of all, the most universal and meaningful of themes. The theme of any literary work is what makes it great as it should be able to encompass the immense diversity of the world and as it would be able to transcend the boundaries of religion, age, race, gender, etc. Two examples of this great and

The narrator's desire for light is caused by the fact that the light illuminates "the blackness of [his] invisibility." He lives in a secluded basement and "tapped into a power line" in order to receive electricity. The narrator realized that the light makes him less invisible to himself. He was chased into the darkness because of people's inability to see him, deeming him invisible. However, the light always him to see himself and be aware of his on existence. The light shows him what other people fail to see; it brings him out of the darkness that he is trapped in.