Richard Wright's Influence On Society
Richard Wright’s novel Black Boy is an autobiography that depicts the life of a black male growing up in the early 20th century. One of the biggest factors contributing to the man Wright became were influences by society. Society played a huge role in developing Wright as an author and as a person. Examples of these societal factors include: race, educational opportunities, gang and ghetto life, and the attraction of Paris to African American writers of the 20th century. These collective bearings helped shape Richard Wright into one of the most influential African American writers of all time. Just as it is today, where one resides has an enormous impact on educational opportunities. Because a predominantly large
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He also grew up in a poor and poverty struck community that meant he had a slim chance of getting out. Growing up in a ghetto is very difficult because of the high rate of unemployment, violence, and crime. In these ghettos high rates of poverty lead to low rates of steady employable males which in turn lead to high rates of single parent households. “Single-parent households lead to lower levels of social control and supervision”(Williams and Collins). Thus, resulting in children of these households becoming more encouraged to violence. Not only did Wright have to deal with violence within his community but also inside his own home. Wright spent a good portion of his childhood avoiding beating and whippings from his family. “One of the climactic scenes of the book, however, serves to set the violence of Black Boy in perspective”(Demarest). During Wright’s last job in the south, Wright’s employers scheme to have him and another black worker fight. Richard and the other boy do not want to fight but once they are harassed and provoked enough by the white employers they find themselves fighting for real. “Harrison and I found it difficult to look at each other; we were upset and distrustful. We were not really angry at each other; we knew that the idea of murder had been planted in each of us by the white men who employed
He also grew up in a poor and poverty struck community that meant he had a slim chance of getting out. Growing up in a ghetto is very difficult because of the high rate of unemployment, violence, and crime. In these ghettos high rates of poverty lead to low rates of steady employable males which in turn lead to high rates of single parent households. “Single-parent households lead to lower levels of social control and supervision”(Williams and Collins). Thus, resulting in children of these households becoming more encouraged to violence. Not only did Wright have to deal with violence within his community but also inside his own home. Wright spent a good portion of his childhood avoiding beating and whippings from his family. “One of the climactic scenes of the book, however, serves to set the violence of Black Boy in perspective”(Demarest). During Wright’s last job in the south, Wright’s employers scheme to have him and another black worker fight. Richard and the other boy do not want to fight but once they are harassed and provoked enough by the white employers they find themselves fighting for real. “Harrison and I found it difficult to look at each other; we were upset and distrustful. We were not really angry at each other; we knew that the idea of murder had been planted in each of us by the white men who employed