In Richard Wright's "The Man Who Was Almost a
Man," is Dave ready to be a man? Does he understand what being a man is?
Part of me thinks Dave is ready to be a man, but then the
other part of me does not think he is ready. The reason I think that Dave is
ready to be a man because he wants to know what it is like to have freedom.
Dave is only seventeen but he has to work for school clothes and he does not
get any money to just do what he wants with.
The reason I think he is not ready is because he does not know what the
real world is like because he hasn’t had to manage his money or pay bills. I do
not think people realize how hard the real world is until they move into their
own house and have to pay their own bills. I know that when I was younger I could
not wait to move out on my own, and now that I do live out on my own I always
think why did I want to move out. I think Dave thinks he understands what being
a man is. I do not think that he
understands that part of being a man is doing the consequences for your
actions. When Dave got onto the train I think he was running away from all of
his problems instead of dealing with them like a man should do. While I was
reading the story, I could tell that maybe Dave had something wrong with him
and I could tell that his dad was mean to him sometimes.
I agree with you, I think Dave was running away from his problems. I think he was treated too much like a child and that is why he had some childish ways about him. It did seem like he may have had some kind of mental disorder but the writer does not just come right out and say it, it just seem to imply it. But it could also be implying his childish too. I just think he has the wrong perception of what it takes to be a man because he hasn't been taught how to be a man.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same I think he didn't have the mental capacity nor really knew the definition of what being a man really is. I think he was tired of being picked on and laughed at and just felt as though he had to prove himself in some way.
ReplyDeleteI agree that he possible had a mental problem. I found it very odd that his mother would let him just go to the store and get a gun and think he was going to bring it back to her. He wanted the gun for himself and she was going to just give it to his dad because he needed one. At the age of 17 she really should have let the father make that decision and taken him to buy the gun. I found the story sad because I am an animal lover so when he was trying to put dirt in the wound it brought tears to my eyes.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I first moved out of my family home. I was so ready to move out and be on my own. I thought I knew everything there was to know to make it in this big world. Boy was I in for it! I wished that I could go home sometimes but I never did. I try to tell my children they need to enjoy it while they can, so that one day they will know what to expect out there. Just as in this story, my kids wish they could grow up way to fast. The boy needed more time to mature and grow before having to live life as an adult.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that Dave is ready to be a man but then again not ready. Dave has to work for his money. His money goes towards clothes. I think everyone should have to pay for certain things before they are set out into the real world. The reason why I think Dave is not ready to be a man is because he has never managed his own money. All of his money gets sent straight to his mother. Everyone should know how to manage money well. Dave still has a little bit left to learn before he is considered a real man.
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