Richard Wright's Black Boy is a social critique as well as an autobiography. Part I of his novel seems to be an indictment of the South while Part II, an indictment of the North. Richard Wright gives a vivid portrayal of the hardships in the South. Ella struggles to raise her children in Memphis, Tennessee. However, her long hours of works give her little time to take care of Richard and his brother. Hunger and poverty were constant challenges they had to face. When Ella moves to Elaine, Arkansas, to live with her sister, Maggie, and her sister's husband, Hoskins, life seems to be improving. However, the success of Hoskins's saloon creates jealousy among the white folks. This jealousy soon turns to murder as local white men kill Hoskins and threaten the rest of his family. When Richard moves with his Granny, he faces the problem of hunger again. He also suffered beatings by his aunt and grandma for not conforming to their religion. In Jackson, he endures racism at his job. By recounting the hardships and pains he endured, Richard Wright resents the South of the harsh racism and the poor conditions for African Americans, like himself, to support their families. Part II of Black Boy is also an indictment of the North. Finding a job at another optical shop, Wright again faces hardships as he is manipulated by his coworker, Olin. Olin, a seemingly good coworker, plays mind games with Richard and another young black worker, Harrison, in an effort to get them to kill off one another. Olin succeeds as he manipulates both Richard and Harrison to a gruesome boxing match. Richard continues to struggle with racism, segregation, poverty in Chicago. In order to work against poverty, Richard suppresses his own morals and forces himself to work at a corrupt insurance agency where he takes advantage of poor blacks. Through the vivid portrayals of his experiences in the South and the North, Richard Wright reveals a resentful heart towar...