Organization
Plot Synopsis
The man who was almost a man is a short story written by Richard Wright. Wright is an African American novelist and portrays the lives of black Americans and their experiences. The story is of an African American seventeen year old Dave who desires to own a gun which is will earn him the respect he deserves as a man and is no longer a child. He does procure a gun from a local store and happens to possess a pistol finally (Brandt). The problem arises when he accidentally shoots a mule, jenny that is owned by his boss Mr. Hawkins. Dave continues to lie about jenny's death till he breaks out and confesses. Now Mr. Hawkins tells Dave to pay 50 dollars for the mule by taking out 2 dollars from Dave’s pay each month until the debt is paid. The story ends with Dave firing the gun arbitrarily into the air till no bullets are left. When he reaches Hawkins’s house, he muses if he had one more fire he would fire at his house to let him know he is really a man.
Dave is an average adolescent struggling with an identity crisis, unsure of himself and desperate to prove that he is not a boy but a man. He is struggling because of his African American identity. Financial problems are pertinent and every penny is significant. Plus, David is just 17, and with his teenage impulse, his parents do not trust him with money. His mother keeps all his salary. All this makes Dave that he has lost his manhood, so decides to buy a gun to prove the same. Richard Wright through the characters makes some racial commentary. Blacks were not considered equal with whites. Dave feels uncomfortable to see himself inferior to Joe who owned the gun store (Brandt) . It is because of this intimidation factor that Dave constantly feels that he has to prove himself as a man to everyone.
Apart from the struggles of manhood that Dave goes through in his mind, the gun plays an important part. Robert felgar analyses that the story has both phallic and racial elements. The pistol becomes the emblem of male strength. The shooting of the mule is a sub conscious reaction, both against the oppression by the white society and also representing his own anxiety as a black mistreatment.
There is a constant search for power, the power of black manhood. Since Dave is abused and humiliated as a black, the gun and the firing becomes an agent to show off power. The mule becomes the symbol of prosperity to Mr. Hawkins that Dave destroys in frustration. Thus the gun represents the power, masculinity and respect that Dave desires in the society where the whites humiliate the blacks and mistreat them. Dave fantasizes about shooting at Mr. Hawkins’s house, again symbolic of the hatred and agitation. He fires against the society that denies him a good pay or a job or opportunity (Brandt). He fires against the society that denies him social respect. Finally, he fires against the society that denies him respect for his masculinity. The mule becomes the representation of the object of attack against the oppressive system. The mule is also likened to dave, in the way the he is used as the mule is used. He says-
“treat[s] me like a mule, n they beat me”
He toils like jenny and receives no reward for it. The mule represent the commitment and responsibility, where as jenny's death is Dave’s own death. His innocence dies when he commits this murder.
The title suggests that the man in the story is almost a man. Definitely Dave is seventeen and on the verge of becoming a man yet he is not already a man. Age becomes a deciding factor, as it is implied to make out the difference between an adult or child, While David felt like he was already a man and not accounted for that, he buys a gun considering that possession of a gun shall elevate his status. But again possessing a gun did not make him a man. He remains almost a man. He buys and keeps the gun but has to hide it and tell lies about it, he does not have the confidence to put it forth or show off openly. It does not make him a man, he lacks the conviction and valor, like a soldier might have while he possesses a gun or pistol. Dave lacks that. So as a matter of fact he is not ready for it, which Dave is unwilling to accept in any light.
As far as Dave’s coming of age is concerned, the adolescent Dave is no better off in the end. The killing of the mule makes him more agitated. He wishes to fire at Hawkins’s house. He is restless and impatient. The gun becomes a burden than an asset for him in the end. (Brandt)
Dave continuingly tells lies about various things like the gun, the murder of jenny. It highlights how unconfident he is about maintaining it. The instant impulse makes him buy the gun and then it becomes a burden in the end. He has to lie about it twisting true events in his favor, first in order to obtain the gun and then to avoid being held solely guilty of the mule's death.
For Dave, the gun becomes a dream to realize and later a huge burden to handle. He lacks the adult male's traits that he wishes to achieve with the gun. Surrounded by no male model or ideal, he just sees the gun or violence as a way of achieving respect that he does not get as a black man per se. He is dominated by Mr. Hawkins and his mother. Dave lacks not even the courage, but identity to stand up in his own house. His situation becomes pathetic. Gun then is no symbol of manhood, it does not help as Dave is not able to handle it.
There is one more aspect that deserves attention that is killing of animals. Ike's hunting and accidental death of the mule are instances. Ike is learning to hunt and kill. He has Sam fathers to teach him. Hunting is a male forte. Dave does not hunt but ends up killing an animal. Ike is proud of his hunting success where as Dave tries to hide and get away from, also he does not courageously step forward to tell the truth. Dave's hunting is not considered heroic or even celebrated. It is accidental or shows his weakness to not even take a shot clearly.
Works cited
"Literary Analysis of "The Man Who Was Almost a Man"." . N.p.. Web. 15 Dec 2013. <http://teenink.com/nonfiction/academic/article/311178/Literary-Analysis-of-The-Man-Who-Was-Almost-a-Man/>.
Brandt, Jeff. "The Phallic Gun as Masculine Confidence in “The Man Who Was Almost a Man”." . N.p., 08 Dec 2007. Web. 15 Dec 2013. <http://www.jtbrandt.com/essays/the-phallic-gun-as-masculine-confidence-in-the-man-who-was-almost-a-man>.
. Williams, Rob. "Negros with Guns: Rob William and black power." . N.p.. Web. 18 Dec 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/negroeswithguns/rob.html>.
"The Oppression of Black People, The Crimes of This System and the Revolution We Need ." . N.p.. Web. 18 Dec 2013. <http://www.revcom.us/a/144/BNQ-en.html>.
