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A key theme of ‘The Man Who Was Almost a Man’ is masculinity, as the story’s title suggests. But as that clever title also indicates, Richard Wright is also exploring the theme of adolescence and coming of age: Dave is ‘almost a man’ but is not quite there yet, both because he is too young and lacking in his independence, and because he is not comfortable with his masculinity (or ...
While in “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” Wright often depicts Dave’s efforts to become a man as comedic, the story underlines a deeper tragedy: that Black Americans more generally weren’t recognized as “men”—as full human beings—even after emancipation. In “The Man Who Was Almost A Man,” this process of dehumanization begins ...
The Man Who Was Almost a Man. Dave Saunders, a black seventeen-year-old living with his family in the American South around the 1930s, is frustrated because the other, older workers always talk down to him. He believes that if he could just get a gun for himself, he’d prove his manhood and earn their respect.
Important Quotes Explained. Could kill a man with a gun like this. Kill anybody, black or white. And if he were holding his gun in his hand, nobody could run over him; they would have to respect him. Withdrawing the pistol from underneath his pillow, Dave marvels at the gun’s potential power and capabilities.
Coming-of-Age Struggles. On many levels, “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” is a coming-of-age story in which the adolescent Dave Saunders must overcome numerous hurdles to become a mature adult. Restless, impatient, and taunted by the older men he works with, Dave believes that acquiring a gun will end his adolescence and transform him into a ...
If you're still here, we're assuming you're ready to talk about the real Richard Wright, author of "The Man Who Was Almost a Man." Born in Mississippi in 1908, Richard Wright became one of the most prominent voices in the Harlem Renaissance , a legendary explosion of African-American literature and art in the 1920s and 30s.
Themes and Meanings. The question of how one becomes initiated into adulthood pervades this story, beginning with the first paragraph, in which David tells himself that someday he is “going to ...
