The Struggle In Richard Wright's Black Boy

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Over six million African Americans moved from the South to the North in aspiration of seeking a better life and a fresh start. Black Boy, by Richard Wright, is the story of a young black boy, Richard, that is piloting himself through the Jim Crow South. Richard grew up in a primarily black community with his mom, Ella, and his younger brother, Alan. When he is finally introduced to the white population he is surprised to see how the blacks and whites interact. Due to his skin color, Richard is treated unfairly which makes it harder for him to thrive. As Richard comes of age, he is left to support his family. With no help or advice from his father, Richard labors many jobs in hopes of obtaining enough money to move himself and his family to Although rebellious, Richard is a determined and curious character. Richard’s curiosity surpasses what his family members and associates can handle. This causes problems between Richard and his family. This can be explained when Richard wonders what the curtains in his house would look like if they were on fire. This curiosity leads him to light the curtains on fire, which causes the house to burn down. Even though Richard did not mean to burn the house down, and was only trying to satisfy his curiosity, he put his whole family in jeopardy of being hurt. Due to his behavior, Richard gets brutally beat by his mother after he is caught hiding under the house. Similarly, Richard’s thoughts also edges him to read Bluebeard and His Seven Wives with Ella, a school teacher who helped support his Granny’s household. Since Richard had never been introduced to

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