FREE ESSAY ON THE MAN WHO WAS ALMOST A MAN

THE MAN WHO WAS ALMOST A MAN

The Man Who Was Almost a Man" In "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" by Richard Wright, the
main character Dave expresses his needs to be acknowledged as an adult. Yet he also
exhibits his immaturity and the fact that he is not yet an adult and can not handle adult
problems. His actions lead him into trouble that proves the fact that he is still an
adolescent who can not handle problems of the adult world. The characters around Dave
make him feel like he is still a child. His wants to purchase a gun to feel more
powerful. In the beginning of this story, Dave talks about how a gun would change the way
people acted towards him. He feels that if he owns this power, the men in the fields who
work with him will have more respect for him, and his mother will start treating him as
an adult. Dave feels as if he is surrounded by people who treat him as a child and he
does not like this at all. "You ain't nothing but a boy. You don't need a gun." This
statement said by Joe, is the main reason why Dave truly wants a gun, to feel
independent. Even though Dave wants to be acknowledged as an adult, his actions are very
immature and childlike. The act of cornering his mother for a gun is one good example of
immaturity. Dave feels as though he can not ask his dad for the gun for fear of
rejection, a perfect example of immaturity. Daves defiance to his mother's rules is
another example of immaturity. Dave's mother agrees to allow Dave to buy the gun as long
as he promises to bring it straight to her. He agrees to this, yet he does not go along
with her wish. The next morning, Dave set out to the fields early to shoot his gun. He
ends up accidentally killing Mr. Hawkins mule, Jenny. The way Dave goes about dealing
with this problem is childish. He panics and decides to lie about what really did happen.
He makes up a story which he knows nobody will believe, yet he feels that if everyone
does in fact believe him he can avoid his problems more easily. At the end of the story,
Dave decides to run away from his problems by running away from everything. His
punishment for killing the mule was to pay Mr. Hawkins fifty dollars. Dave carelessly
decides at the end, to jump on the next train leaving with his gun. All of these actions
prove how immature Dave really is. His thirst for independence is lost due to his lack of
maturity.