The Strange Man - Original Writing

Stanley Kubrick’s sexual parody, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, illustrates an unfathomed nuclear catastrophe. Released in the midst of the Cold War, this 1964 film satirizes the heightened tensions between America and Russia. Many sexual insinuations are implemented to ridicule the serious issue of a global nuclear holocaust, in an effort to countervail the terror that plagued America at that time. Organizing principles, such as Kubrick’s blunt political attitudes about the absurdity of war and the satirical genre, are echoed by the film style of his anti-war black comedy, Dr. Strangelove.

The story “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” was written by Richard Wright. Wright was born near Natchez, Mississippi. When Wright was five, his father abandoned the family so wright was raised by a series of relatives in Mississippi. Wrights education never went further than junior high school. Wright then moved to Chicago, where he joined the WPA Writes Project. Wright wrote many story’s in his time and was well known for them. “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” is about a kid who thinks is a man, so he goes out and buys a gun, then practice’s shooting it while working and ends up killing a mule then runs away. The theme of “The Man who was Almost a Man” symbolizes the coming of age, racism and self-deception of the kid.

In Richard Wright’s “The Man Who Was Almost a Man,” Dave finds himself throughout the course of the story. Throughout the story, Dave is constantly seeking the pleasure of obtaining and then eventually shooting a gun in order to be a man and find himself. However, Dave does not expect the consequences that are to follow the pursuit of pleasure. The moral of the story pertains to the role pleasure and its consequences have in development and finding oneself. The story narrates a common, but little talked about problem, that runs rampant in today’s society. In the story “The Man Who Was Almost a Man,” Richard Wright illustrates Dave’s development, or lack thereof, through the symbols of the gun, the train, and the mule.

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.'

The Man Who Was Almost a Man is a fictitious short story about an uneducated black boy's quest to become a man. Growing up in the early 1900's was a very hard task for most black people. The lack of education was one of the hardest hills they had to overcome to

In Richard Wright's short story "The Man Who Was Almost a Man," a youthful dark kid named Dave, chooses that on the off chance that he could buy a weapon he would in a flash turn into a man. Dave is a level character and the hero in this story. Dave is a figure of the circumstances, a field hand's child who must choose the option to in the end turn into a field handful time himself. Forced to an existence of barely bringing home the bacon, he does not have the instruction and chances to improve his life since then white individuals did not permit it. At the point when the story happens it is amidst the hot summer. Dave works extended periods in the field for a white man named Mr. Hawkins, he is pushed day by day by his coworkers and treated like a child, Dave is urgent to demonstrate his masculinity. In transit home from yet another difficult day in the field, he stops by Joe's store to look at the stock. Dave tells Joe that he is keen on buying a weapon. Joe gives Dave a firearm guide to take a look at while

LeMay: “If I see that the Russians are amassing their planes for an attack... I’m going to knock the shit out of them before they take off the ground. I don’t care, it’s my policy (LeMay qtd. in Lindley 4)

Richard Wright’s “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” is a story about seventeen-year-old Dave Saunders struggling to gain the respect from his elders and decides purchasing a gun will give him the power he needs in order to be respected. After begging his mother to let him buy a gun, she gives in and gives him the OK with one stipulation, it’s for his father and to bring it back to her right away. Defying his mother and breaking the promise he made to her, Dave did not bring the gun to her consequently costing the life of Jim Hawkins’ mule, Jenny. To repay Mr. Hawkins back for the loss of his mule, Dave must work for two more years giving him two dollars a month until a total of fifty dollars has been paid. “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” displays the hardships of coming of age.

The short story, “ The Man Who Was Almost a Man”, by Richard Wright, clearly speaks to the reader that age does not define maturity through Dave Saunders’ thoughts, actions, and interaction with others in his environment. The events and dialogue that unfold within the story clearly communicate that the mule and the gun are representative of the conflict between Dave’s current lack of power and the power he hopes to achieve. In the story, the gun symbolises Dave’s will power and how he wishes to be, powerful and well-respected; Dave almost idolizes the gun, “Lawd, ef Ah only had tha pretty one! He could almost feel the slickness of the weapon with his fingers”(4).

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

In the two Buildungsroman short stories, “The Man Who Was Almost A Man” by Richard Wright, and “A&P” by John Updike, two young boys, Dave and Sammy, are experiencing trials and tribulations of maturing into men. Each protagonist goes through unique circumstances to find varying degrees of manhood. While one has slight realization of responsibility, the other does not become successful in his journey for self-discovery. Men in his town easily influence Dave and his focus is to become like them—a man. However, Sammy is disinterested by the society’s nature to follow the beaten path. Because of this, Sammy has a thirst to achieve masculinity in a contrasting way than Dave. How Dave and Sammy wish to achieve manhood is similar, but the way each character discovers this desire individually is quite different.

Meanwhile, Kyle, still in Avon Lake was starting to see a ghost. He was driving out of town and was seeing the ghost of the man, Billy Crenshaw, he ran over in the dark, about 20 years ago. It was dark and the road was wet when it happened. Mr. Crenshaw was jogging on the side of the road like always because it was his routine. A car was driving on the wrong side of the road, so Kyle swerved out of the hitting Mr. Crenshaw. Kyle was put in jail, then transferred into a correctional facility, for 5 years and, after, was on probation for a year. Kyle stopped on the side of the road and saw the Mr. Crenshaw’s ghost clearly. Kyle was going after the ghost and it soon left him in front of a bar.

In Richard Wright’s story, “The Man Who Was Almost a Man,” Dave, a seventeen-year-old, African American, struggles to gain power and respect in his quest to become a man. Throughout the story Wright portrays the hardships the headstrong main character brings upon himself and those imposed upon him by his community. Specifically, Dave’s pursuit toward the goal of adulthood is impaired by his immaturity, economic struggles, and oppression by society.

Some cultural studies about “A Man Who Was Almost a Man” by Richard Wright, put an intense stress on this idea of knowing who one is because the main character like David Saunders who was struggling to know who exactly who he was. He felt that with a gun he could prove to people in his town that he was a man. It showed that he has some sort of power and can take care of himself. Richard Wright, the author, was also from the south and he too was hurting from an identity crisis. This identity crisis forced him to leave his small town due to the Jim Crow laws which is during this time period. He left to find his own true self, because it is important to know who you are before you define or describe someone else. Clearly, David Saunders and Richard Wright have some similarities. Using racial-cultural criticism, consider Richard Wright’s short story by using the setting and cultural aspects through the social status of the main character, character relationships through family, and character relationships through the race.

In Richard Wright’s “The Man Who Was Almost a Man,” he tells the story of a 17-year-old boy named Dave who strives to be a man by owning his own gun. Throughout the story, Dave is trying to prove that he is no longer a little kid to himself and the people around him but manages to achieve the exact opposite in his actions. Instead of acting like a grown man, Dave’s immature attributes come out in the way he handles getting the gun and his actions once he hides the gun and takes it with him to work. Unlike the actions of an adult, Dave must ask for his money from his mom for she sees him as not responsible enough to take care of his own funds he receives from working for Mr. Hawkins. All during dinner he could