Richard Wright chronicles his years as a probing youth in a society that rejects people of his caliber. Throughout "Black Boy" he feels a constant tension between himself and the people with whom he interacts, and this electrically charged atmosphere often results in his alienation from others.
During his brief time under the tutelage of Aunt Addie (Ch. 4), he suffers false accusations and discovers that his aunt assumes that her nephew's persistent denials and back-talking will debilitate the "morale" of the class. Her harsh treatment stems from her own lack of confidence and awareness of Richard's uniqueness, bringing him into a separate world of undeserved punishment, making it clear that he was different from the others and would therefore not receive the same courtesies.
Religiously, Richard was also isolated from the community as some sort of heathen, but at the same time, mercilessly preyed upon to conform and save his soul. If he was to remain in Granny's house, he had......
Join Now or Login to view the rest of this paper.
Approximate Word Count: 595
Approximate Pages: 3 (260 words per double-spaced page) |