PROSE I - ANALYSIS OF SETTINGS, CULTURAL ASPECTS, AND CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS IN THE MAN WHO WAS ALMOST A MAN BY RICHARD WRIGHT

ANALYSIS OF SETTINGS, CULTURAL ASPECTS, AND CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS IN THE MAN WHO WAS ALMOST A MAN BY RICHARD WRIGHT

The short story “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” by Richard Wright put an emphasis on the idea of knowing who someone is because of the main character, David Saunders, was struggling to know who exactly he was. He felt that with a gun he could prove to everyone in his southern town that he was a man. This idea of knowing who someone is has been made quite clear in “The Man Who Was Almost a Man”. Based on the history of the author that I have read, Richard Wright was also from the south and he too suffered from an identity crisis. This identity crisis compelled him to leave his small town due to the Jim Crow laws enacted during the time period (Rayson). He left to find his own identity. David Saunders and Richard Wright clearly have some similarities. Using racial/cultural criticism, a reader can analyze Richard Wright’s “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” by using the setting and cultural aspects through the social status of the main character, character relationships through family, and character relationships through race (white-black).

David Saunders’s family is a struggling African-American family. This is made clear when his mother says, “Waal that’s good. We kin use it in the outhouse.” It refers to the sears catalogue. His family is at a financial point where the basic necessities cannot be met. They have to find clever methods of meeting their necessities. This is one of many clues that point to the David Saunders family being of low social status. The family seems to be struggling to a point where David Saunders is not even trusted with his own money. He is not trusted with his own money because his parents seem to think he would spend it on various things. This makes David feel like his manhood is diminished and that he really had to “self” to recognize because other people do things for him. David’s mother, on the other hand, makes it quite clear that as a family every penny counts and that is why she takes care of David’s money.

The next thing that can be examined is the family relationship found in the story. David’s father has a small appearance in this short story, but this appearance makes a strong comment on the relationship in the family. David is intimidated by his father and this intimidation is made clear in this passage: “He did not mention money before his father. He would do much better by cornering his mother when she was alone.” David feels less in control around his father, which leads to him feeling less like a man. He cannot get the money for the gun he wants if his dad is present when he asks for it. The relationship between father and son in this short story is made to be a hesitant person with a lot of intimidation. David knows that he can do better by asking his mother for money but even then he barely seems to stand a chance. His mother says, “Yuh ain ganna toucha penny of tha money fer no gun! That’s how come Ah has Mistah Hawkins t pay me, cause Ah knows yuh ain got no sense.” His mother is reluctant to give him the money which prevents David from getting a gun and achieving his goal of proving he’s a man.

The final thing that can be examined in the story is the character relationships through race. David does not feel comfortable going to a store owned by a white person and it causes him to feel uncomfortable. He goes from know who he is and being full of courage, to being a scared and confused person. He feels like he cannot be a man because it seems that he is not control of the situation. He feels lower to Joe because Joe is white and he is not. This is a simple but strong reflection of the intimidation factor in the town due to racial differences. Throughout the short story, David feels compelled to prove something to everyone in his town. He wants to prove that he is a man not a little boy and that is why he wants a gun. This desire leads him to think, “Laed, ef Ah had just one mo bullet Ah’d taka shot at tha house. Ah’d like t scare ol man Hawkins jusa little… Jusa enough t let im know Dave Saunders is a man.” David thinks that with a gun he can prove he is a man and this quote demonstrates that he feels that he has been suppressed by his boss. He feels that he has been taken advantage and he wants his boss to know that he too has some sort of power.

In conclusion, there are many important aspects that can be found in “The Man Who Was Almost a Man.” The author thought it to be important that people know who they are in the world and made this quite clear in this short story. David Saunders struggled to discover who he was and what his purpose in the world was. Through the racial/cultural criticism, someone can better analyze “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” by examining the setting and cultural aspects through the social status of the main character, character relationships through family, and character relationships through race. “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” is an important literary element because it shows the implications of racial differences. This story provides a good example for future generations of why it is important to recognize who someone is and what role someone plays in society because it gives someone a sense of being. David Saunders felt that a gun would give him that realization of who he was but instead it lead to the death of a horse and eventually to him having to run away from his problems. This story proves that it is of dire importance to recognize someone’s self in order to prevent serious problems from arising.