"An Essay On Black Boy"
            
            
             "Black Boy" is about a black man living in a white man's world because in the world that Richard Wright existed in, there weren't any handouts or givens. A pattern had been set for black people by years of dominance, torture, and prejudice from the whites. This pattern simply consisted of repression and work. The black pattern made Richard want more from life. I believe that Richard Wright was a self-created hero because he never accepted the black pattern; he was the momentum behind positive change in his own life.
            
             Many people believe that a hero is destined by birth, or 'was meant to be' successful because of gifts that were given to them. I believe that Richard Wright defies these requirements because from a very young age he felt a passion inside of him growing to resist the pattern of black life that he was supposed to, or fated to, fulfill. Two examples of his resistance against this pattern are when he fights off his Aunt Addie with a knife, and when he defends himself from his Uncle Tom with two razors. In both of these cases, Richard feels that he is going to be beaten for things that he shouldn't be beaten for, so he stands up for himself and fights back. He could have easily just given in to what his Aunt Addie or Uncle Tom thought, but instead he decides that they are wrong. In both of these confrontations, a similar line is cast toward Richard from his Grandpa, who joined Aunt Addie in the fight against Richard, and Uncle Tom. His Grandpa tells him, "You're bad... You better watch your step, young man, or you'll end up on the gallows" (Pg 121). Then later on in the novel Uncle Tom preaches, "You'll end up on the gallows" (Pg 175). I find both of these lines interesting because they are basically telling Richard that the result of expressing his opinion, in the world they live in, will be death. I thi...