'Black Boy' by Richard Wright
'Black Boy' by Richard Wright which is a gripping tale of his childhood and early adulthood in the south of the 1910s & 20s where he is affronted by the "Jim Crow" laws and later to complete disillusion in Chicago’s communist atmosphere which clearly depicts American Communism in the 1930s and 1940s.
"This was the culture from which I sprang ...
This was the terror from which I fled ... "
These lines explain the major theme of the autobiographical novel and establishes Wright as an important author of the Harlem Renaissance and a spokesman of African-Americans concerning their conditions. Richard Wright has the distinction of being the first African-American author whose work appeared on the national bookseller’s list. It describes the poverty of his childhood and in his early adulthood in Chicago. Yet the novel should not be taken as an angry attack on racism but by a sensitive reading of the book the reader realizes that it is more a story of an artist and an intellectual and established him as a writer of power and intensity. His prose captures the lyrical black dialect and paints unforgettable pictures of the deep South and Chicago of the 1930s. There are several facets to be explored in the work and Black Boy portrays poverty, hunger, lack of emotional support, miserable living conditions and it also considers family life while rendering vivid picture of his rebellion against these different phases in his life.
Though racism is a familiar topic in literature, Wright here condemns it not only as an odious portrayal of relations between whites and blacks but also among blacks themselves. For Wright the real problem of racism is in American culture and he believes that this deep rooted racism could destroy culture itself. So "Black Boy" represents the author’s passionate desire to reflect upon the racist world around him. His criticism of racism in America is also the criticism of black community itself which brings us to the importance of reading and religion in the African-American community. Reading is a passion for Wright and it is more like his physical hunger which gnaws him and in spite of his irregular schooling he is an avid reader. This obsession for reading and his total disinterest in religion bring him often in conflict with his family’s extreme religious fanaticism. Unlike others he finds his vocation in reading and writing and delights in his studies and succeeds in publishing in a local black newspaper. He graduates from the ninth grade and gives his own elocution despite the insistence of his principal, friends and family who wanted him to give a speech sanctioned by the school. This rebellious attitude of Wright shows his non-conformity which brings us directly to the theme of violence in his work.
Violence is predominant in his work and can be taken as the main theme of his novel "Black Boy" for he is confronted with violence at home, in the streets when he is a small boy and later at school and at work as an adolescent. He is always, beaten or slapped by his elders when he stands up at home and is repeatedly uprooted and always accompanied by poverty, hunger, and cruelty. Violence is almost an inevitable consequence when Richard asserts himself for at school he shows his violent power to gain respect and acceptance and later the author gives a vivid account of the fight between himself and Harrison, a young black man who works at a rival optical shop in Memphis. This seems to be the most violent episode of his narrative for while entering the adult working world he meets with violent racism which pushes him to leave for the North.
Yet in Chicago he continues to struggle with racism, segregation and poverty but he finds Communism attractive and becomes a member of the Party. To his dismay he finds that the Communist Party is like any other group and after a great deal of political strife and slander Richard leaves the party. Despite the failure of his high hopes he remains determined to make his living as a writer. Thus "Black Boy", the autobiographical work by Richard Wright is an unforgettable and eloquent story of his growing in the Jim Crow South and gives him the place as an important figure of the Harlem Renaissance although he remained away from the movement.
This was the terror from which I fled ... "
These lines explain the major theme of the autobiographical novel and establishes Wright as an important author of the Harlem Renaissance and a spokesman of African-Americans concerning their conditions. Richard Wright has the distinction of being the first African-American author whose work appeared on the national bookseller’s list. It describes the poverty of his childhood and in his early adulthood in Chicago. Yet the novel should not be taken as an angry attack on racism but by a sensitive reading of the book the reader realizes that it is more a story of an artist and an intellectual and established him as a writer of power and intensity. His prose captures the lyrical black dialect and paints unforgettable pictures of the deep South and Chicago of the 1930s. There are several facets to be explored in the work and Black Boy portrays poverty, hunger, lack of emotional support, miserable living conditions and it also considers family life while rendering vivid picture of his rebellion against these different phases in his life.
Though racism is a familiar topic in literature, Wright here condemns it not only as an odious portrayal of relations between whites and blacks but also among blacks themselves. For Wright the real problem of racism is in American culture and he believes that this deep rooted racism could destroy culture itself. So "Black Boy" represents the author’s passionate desire to reflect upon the racist world around him. His criticism of racism in America is also the criticism of black community itself which brings us to the importance of reading and religion in the African-American community. Reading is a passion for Wright and it is more like his physical hunger which gnaws him and in spite of his irregular schooling he is an avid reader. This obsession for reading and his total disinterest in religion bring him often in conflict with his family’s extreme religious fanaticism. Unlike others he finds his vocation in reading and writing and delights in his studies and succeeds in publishing in a local black newspaper. He graduates from the ninth grade and gives his own elocution despite the insistence of his principal, friends and family who wanted him to give a speech sanctioned by the school. This rebellious attitude of Wright shows his non-conformity which brings us directly to the theme of violence in his work.
Violence is predominant in his work and can be taken as the main theme of his novel "Black Boy" for he is confronted with violence at home, in the streets when he is a small boy and later at school and at work as an adolescent. He is always, beaten or slapped by his elders when he stands up at home and is repeatedly uprooted and always accompanied by poverty, hunger, and cruelty. Violence is almost an inevitable consequence when Richard asserts himself for at school he shows his violent power to gain respect and acceptance and later the author gives a vivid account of the fight between himself and Harrison, a young black man who works at a rival optical shop in Memphis. This seems to be the most violent episode of his narrative for while entering the adult working world he meets with violent racism which pushes him to leave for the North.
Yet in Chicago he continues to struggle with racism, segregation and poverty but he finds Communism attractive and becomes a member of the Party. To his dismay he finds that the Communist Party is like any other group and after a great deal of political strife and slander Richard leaves the party. Despite the failure of his high hopes he remains determined to make his living as a writer. Thus "Black Boy", the autobiographical work by Richard Wright is an unforgettable and eloquent story of his growing in the Jim Crow South and gives him the place as an important figure of the Harlem Renaissance although he remained away from the movement.
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