Elliott 1

Brad Elliott
Mr. Hackney
English 101: Rhetoric
10 November 2014
Wright of Passage
In the short story, The Man Who Was Almost A Man, Richard Wright utilizes informal
dialogue and change in point of view to show the young Dave Saunders desire to be viewed as a
man. His fathers dominance of the household oppresses Dave as his voice cannot be heard.
Between his mothers yelling and his fathers mere presence, the protagonist is unable to take on
the responsibilities he would prefer. Though he regularly plows fields for money, the paychecks
go straight to his mother because she feels Dave will spend them carelessly. In his strife to be
seen as a man, Dave feels the answer to his problems is a gun. It is a gun that acts as a bridge to
manhood. By purchasing a weapon, which represents power, others will look up towards Dave. It
is his unruly and irresponsible behavior with the weapon that digs him into a hole he will forever
be stuck in.
Through the use of dialogue, it becomes apparent that he is looked down on by the
supporting characters of the story. He argues consistently with his mother, the way she speaks
towards him is degrading and lets him know his place. When she yells, Nigger, is yuh gone
plumb crazy? after he asks to buy a gun, Dave submits to his mother immediately as she not
only talks down to him, but uses racial slurs to assert her dominance (Wright 375). Daves
parents distrust in him gives the protagonist more of a reason to strive to be seen as a man. The
only issue is that he has no role model to look to.

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Through implications such as the respect Dave holds for his father, and the small role
which Mr. Saunders holds in the short story, the reader can tell that he does not play a large part
in the protagonists life. Daves father is not around very often, meaning that there is nobody to
serve as an adult role model. And Mrs. Saunders relaxed use of racial slurs hints that there is a
lack of African American presence in the household. This also means that Dave has no adult
black males to guide him or even serve as models that could allow him to define manhood
(Loftis 440). Left without guidance, nor an interactive father, Dave is unable to interpret what a
man is. This reasons as to why he believes throughout the story that a weapon is what turns a boy
into a man. Mentally, he is unable to grasp the idea of manhood, or how owning a weapon adds
to a mans adult image.
But it is the weapon itself which defeats Daves chances of manhood anytime in the near
future. Wrights utilization of changing point of view shows the protagonists hesitation to use
the weapon once presented the opportunity. As the weapon is fired, the point of view changes
from third person to first in order to show the thoughts of the protagonist. Yuh almost broke my
arm! spouts Dave at the gun as he kicks it across the field (Wright 378). As the point of view
changes to first person to indicate that the protagonist is thinking, the reader is able to see what is
going on in the forefront of young Daves mind, while the unconscious thinking is left for
interpretation. Dave is angry at the weapon though it is his own fault for not shooting it
correctly. He is not mature enough to admit to his own mistake. Obviously any negative result of
the gunshot is his own fault, but Dave is angry at the gun for hurting him, as if it were done on
purpose. Therefore, any result, such as the killing of Jenny, the mule, is the guns fault more so
than his own. This is made clear as he makes up a cover story when questioned about the
incident.

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But it is Daves uncertainty that reigns over all else preceding the shot. He cannot look at
the gun with his eyes closed nor have a firm grip on it. As Loftis puts it, The gun is as much in
control of Dave as Dave is of the gun (Loftis 441). Though he tries convincing himself, as
seen in the first person perspective, that he is capable of dominating the weapon, but he knows
unconsciously that he is not responsible or mature enough for such a feat. It is this distrust in
himself which allows the gun to take control of him. Psychologically, he beat himself before he
even gave the gun a chance to.
Dave sees the weapon as a right of passage. If he owns a gun, then he will be seen as a
man. If he is seen as a man, then his desire is satisfied; but unconsciously he is being satisfied as
he is receiving attention like never before. Dave only wants to be noticed, and he believes that by
becoming a man he will be more noticeable in the community. The author portrays Daves desire
of manhood through the use of casual dialogue and changing point of view throughout the story.
The literary devices allow the reader to see what is happening on a conscious level, and make
connections to what is happening at an unconscious level in the protagonists head. These
connections show the necessities in a childs life to aid them in maturing into a responsible and
respectable adult; the necessities that Dave obviously lacked while growing up.

Works Cited
Wright, Richard. "The Man Who Was Almost A Man." The Oxford Book of American Short
Stories. Ed. Joyce Carol Oates. New York: Oxford UP, 1992. 371-83. Print.
Loftis, John E. Domestic Prey: Richard Wright's Parody of the Hunt Tradition In

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"The Man Who Was Almost A Man." N.p.: EBSCO Publishing, 2002. Print.