Throughout Richard Wright's Black Boy, Wright paints himself in several different shades. As a young boy, Richard is simply unable to believe the publicly accepted notions that his blackness, lack of religion, and intellectual curiosity make him inherently flawed. Instead, I found in Richard a character determined to live according to his own principles and willing to live with the consequences. This strong-willed nature, however, contrasts with Richard's powerless position in society-the low social status that comes with being black and poor. Throughout his life Richard's decisions and knowledge about the world around him are based on the other major characters in the novel. Out of all of the characters in Black Boy, Richard's mother, Ella, was a great influence to Richard and was the major character that caught my attention throughout the novel.
             Richard's controversial relationship with his mother may be traced back to his early childhood, when Ella administers a beating that nearly kills him. This strife continues throughout Richard's early years, as he commits endless punishable offenses in a setting where his mother is often the only authority figure around to deliver punishment. Despite her sometimes brutal discipline, Ella is devoted to her children and is fiercely determined to raise them successfully after her husband abandons the family.
             Ella shows a special tolerance and affection for Richard that we do not see in any of the other major characters. When Richard publishes The Voodoo of Hell's Half-Acre, for example, the rest of the family attacks him, but Ella shows compassion through her concern that Richard's writing might make it hard for him to get a job. Similarly, Ella walks on her weak legs to give Richard a hug when she learns that he will get a job in defiance of Granny's and Addies's wishes, suggesting that she takes genuine delight in her son's success.
             Much...