Influence Of A Mother In The Man Who Was Almost A Man By Richard Wright

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There exists a special connection between a mother and child, one that is unique and comparable to none. Mothers serve a crucial role in the development of a child as well as fulfilling an important part in the human experience. People often act how others treat them. When a mother treats her child like an immature child incapable of making decisions, the results do not stray far from such. When people witness a misbehaving child, they often jump to blame the parents. The powerful influence of a mother is demonstrated in the short story, “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” by Richard Wright. This story features a young man who feels inadequately treated by all who surround him, disrespected, and overlooked. This dangerous combination leads to an …show more content…

A mother’s first instinct is to protect her child. That task is made more difficult by the influence of society. Especially when society is tainted with racism. The short story, “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” by Richard Wright features Mrs. Saunders, a character who has tried her best to raise a young, black male in a time that is not kind to others with a different skin tone. His journey to adulthood has been clouded by confusion on what defines a man and whether this kind of society will ever accept him as a man. Being African American, he is already viewed as less than a man. Yet, he keeps chasing the idea of others viewing him as a man, deferring to outside things to reinforce his manhood. The sad fact remains that, in the eyes of society, he was never going to viewed as a man the same way a white man would be. His mother acted as a buffer between him and society, but once he broke away from that link, he was exposed to his reality. He may still be chasing it, looking for new ways to change the perception surrounding him. However, until society sheds all taints of racism, he will never find what he is searching for. Wright utilizes the mother’s character as Dave’s connection to society, but as he breaks that link in search of his own, the harsh reality of life as a black man is brought to light. A mother’s love runs deep, but it cannot protect an individual from the harsh world. It will not last as armor forever. Only love and respect for one another, no matter the race, gender, sex, or religion, can fight society’s ugliness. Only then can the man who was almost a man, get the opportunity to be a man in everyone’s

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