The Man Who Was Almost A Man Essay

840 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character development introduction

In order for a story to develop a convincing character, it needs to meet the following criterias. First criteria, the individual’s character must remain the same as shown in the story. Second criteria, the character needs to be motivated by the environment they’re placed in. Third criteria, the character must have enough time to change but still make it believable. In “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” Dave is constantly struggling to find a position where he’s seen as a man to others. Dave comes to a conclusion of how he’s going to show others that he’s a man by buying a gun. It took him a while to persuade his mother to give him money so he can buy a gun for his reason, not the reason he told his mother. Dave meets the criterias as the story starts to where it ends although he didn’t change much as third criteria wants. …show more content…

Dave tried changing but he didn’t allow himself enough time to truly become a man. He believed that he can be a man overnight but in reality it takes a long time to become one. Many men have different paces in becoming a man but eventually all of them will become one when it’s meant to be. The way Dave did to become a man quickly wasn’t in his best interest because luckily he killed a mule and not a person. He assumed that he’s almost eighteen, he should be treated like a man but it’s like the same thing as respect, it takes time to earn respect. He didn’t know how to become one, he believed that a gun can make a boy become into a man but anyone can get a gun and still be naive to think they’re capable of handling a gun. Dave didn’t have a great example of a man be shown to him, maybe his father was the same as him and whatever his dad was teaching him wasn’t the right standards a man has. Dave didn’t change in the end of the story, he wasn’t man enough to stay and pay off his debts, he rather left them to his family who’s already struggling

Show More
Related

  • Abuse In Dave Pelzer's 'A Child Called It'

    1286 Words  | 3 Pages

    The abuse had many negative effects on Dave physically. Dave’s mother accidentally stabbed him and wouldn’t go to the hospital to get him treated. This lead Dave to losing a lot of blood, which is never healthy, and being much slower in doing the chores his mother still made him do. Pelzer could not move much without intense pain so he did not finish his chores in time. When Pelzer didn’t finish his chores, his mother made him go without food. Not having proper nutrients made it extremely hard for Dave’s wounds to heal and after it finally healed, Dave still had a scar in the place he was stabbed. The physical impact of not being fed effected more than just not being able to heal the stab wound. When a child is deprived of food there are many negative effects. Dave was constantly hungry which lead to stealing food, stunted growth, loss of focus in school and desire to learn, and he became weaker and weaker. The situation Dave was in also lead to many psychological problems as well. After constantly being referred to as “the boy” and even “it” Dave began to believe these things about himself, that he was no more than just a boy and he didn’t have special talents or abilities that made him a worthy part of his family. Dave soon left that mindset but grew to hate his family, which isn’t very healthy for a child either. Dave had to develop a strong will in order to survive, which most children

    Read More

  • The Short Story 'Likes' By Sarah Shun Bynum

    405 Words  | 1 Pages

    The resolution in the story becomes apparent once Dave realizes that he can communicate with his daughter if he just lets her be

    Read More

  • Summary Of Swingers Not Just On Playgrounds Anymore

    1769 Words  | 4 Pages

    and Dave did not know how to deal with it. He did not know whether she was

    Read More

  • The Archetype Of Dave In The Film Breaking Away

    730 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Breaking Away the group of friends accept their cutter heritage and display is proudly, or in a way that explains that they accept who they are. Following the events in the end of the film Dave is found attending the college and admittedly following an archetype he so wanted all along. He has also now dropped the adoration of the Italians and rather being himself, evolving and growing up in a way. The film creatively displays this in a lighthearted and comedic manner using exciting progressive scenes and playful banter among characters. Breaking Away does keep the film moving with more serious scenes like when Dave and his father, Ray, are talking about Dave’s

    Read More

  • A Child Called 'It' by Dave Pezler

    1656 Words  | 4 Pages

    Dave's mother would make him sleep in the garage in an old army cot. Sometimes it would get really freezing down there and he didn’t even have anything to cover him. Dad would occasionally sneak him scraps of food, but if he didn’t he would have to starve.

    Read More

  • Dave's The Man Who Was Almost A Man

    1777 Words  | 4 Pages

    Responsibility is a huge characteristic for an adult, and he was handling his responsibilities by working for Mr. Hawkins. Once David has the gun, he become very irresponsible by lying to his mother and shoot Mr. Hawkins 's mule. The death of the mule limits Dave, because now he has to work to pay off the mule. At the end of the short story Dave jumps on a train and leaves the country town and leaves his responsibilities behind. Dave seems to be moving backwards instead of forward with becoming a man because a man would handle his responsibilities instead of running away from them so that is where the title comes in. Dave was almost a man because he was working and handling responsibilities, but after he purchases the gun he kills the mule he has to work to pay for it and instead he runs away. He was becoming a man but he ran away and now is only a boy. Since he ran away from his responsibilities by jumping on the train, he will now have to grow up a lot faster than he expected. The title expressed how the only thing or person that was preventing Dave from becoming an actually man was himself. He lacks a lot of maturity in this story so it results in bad judgement and many poor choices, which shows that Dave has a lot to learn on his own

    Read More

  • Rite Of Passage In Richard Wright's The Man Who Was Almost A Man

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dave still continues to behave as a child throughout the short story. “Dave’s attempt to get money from his mother to buy the gun reveal that he in fact is still a child; he whines wheedles and beg, and his mother responds as if he were a child.’(Loftis 439) When presenting the idea of owning a gun to the man who owns it Dave was given a response such as this: “You ain’t nothing but a boy. You don’t need a gun.”(Wright 900) Members of the community do not find Dave mature enough to own a weapon such as this. He has not exerted any actions or characteristics that members of the community find fitting for a man. Dave has only seemed ,as seen in the text, to exert behavior of a child. In both scenarios of Dave obtaining the gun and killing the Jenny with the gun; Dave wanted to hide his actions and lie about what he has done. When presented with opportunities to act as adult and prove maturity Dave goes astray and acts as if he were a child instead of the young man he would like to be seen

    Read More

  • Cinderella Man Essay

    805 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Great Depression of the 1930’s caused widespread poverty, but the popular culture of the time did not reflect this. People wanted to escape from this harsh time so movies, dancing and sports became very popular. Radios broadcasted boxing matches and boxers became stars. The heavyweight champion James J. Braddock aka “Cinderella Man,” gained popularity. James Braddock gained fame by winning many fights and proving everyone wrong when they said he was too old and couldn’t win.

    Read More

  • 'The Man Who Was Almost A Man'

    925 Words  | 2 Pages

    He still faces many problems when trying to get the gun due to the fact that he was treated like a kid and that he acted like a kid. When he went to the store Joe, the sales guy, even treated him like a kid. Joe knew that Dave’s mom kept Dave’s money, because he wasn't responsible enough to hold his own money. The fact that Dave’s mom held on to the money that he worked for shows that he is still just a kid who needs his mom's permission; so therefore, his mom is a force holding him back from becoming a man. Even though Joe said he was a kid he still offered him a gun for a two bucks, so Dave goes back to his house to try a get money for the gun. He waited till he was alone with his mom because he was afraid of his dad, which also shows that his father is another force that prevents him from becoming a man. Dave had to argue with his mother a little bit before she finally agreed, but

    Read More

  • A Child Called It By Dave Pelzer

    581 Words  | 2 Pages

    At a young age Dave had to learn how to play games with his mother as a sort of survival tactic to stay alive in his household.

    Read More

  • The Man Who Was Almost a Man

    586 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Dave accidentally kills the mule, it shows the responsibility of true manhood that Dave is clearly not ready to take on. The Alexander 2 ending, where he decides to leave his house when everyone is asleep. Dave is also mad how everyone is treating him, and how all he ever gets to do is work all the time and has never been given anything in his life. Dave is even mad at his family, especially his mother, for ratting him out. He did not want to sell the gun and give the money to Mr. Hawkins, as his father instructed him to do.

    Read More

  • Richard Wright's The Man Who Was Almost A Man

    1797 Words  | 4 Pages

    A defiant young man who only wants one thing and his coming of age story, is what Richard Wright tells in his short story “The Man Who Was Almost A Man”. This short story is about a young seventeen year old man named Dave. Dave lives in a house with his parents, he goes to the store to get a catalogue to look at guns he wants to purchase. Joe is the man at the store who lets Dave keep the catalogue, he then tells Dave he will sell him his gun for two dollars. Dave goes home to his mother, who receives Dave’s paychecks, and he begs her for money to buy the gun from Joe after he has been obsessed with the catalogue during dinner.

    Read More

  • A Child Called It

    1563 Words  | 4 Pages

    But then, his mother changed. Slowly at first, but drastically. Her behavior became unusual and her drinking increased heavily. She became easily frustrated, and it seems that her biggest source of frustration was Dave, the loudest and wildest of her children. And thus, Dave's nightmare began. Pelzer is never clear on what caused this harsh change in behavior; most likely, he doesn't know and never will. Dave struggles to stay alive in a home where he treated basically like an animal and a slave. Catherine

    Read More

  • Mystic River Symbolism

    680 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dave keeps secrets from his own wife we first see this when Dave tries to talk about what happened to him all those years ago. He says the name of the people that took him for the first time ever Dave says he has never told anyone their names before. Dave also says he had to pretend to be someone else and that’s why part of him died.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Nipple Jesus By Nick Hornby

    555 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story begins with Dave telling the reader a little about himself and his old job as a bouncer at a nightclub. He appears to be your average 40-year-old; he talks about providing for his family, playing with his kids, drinking with his buddies, and watching Fraiser. However, throughout the story, the reader gets a more and more in depth look into the mind of Dave.

    Read More

More about The Man Who Was Almost A Man Essay

Open Document