In Search of Knowledge in Richard Wright's Black Boy

In his autobiographical account, Black Boy, Richard Wright instills in the reader the hunger that he felt for knowledge, as this drive had been suppressed by his environment. Wright’s quest for knowledge and literacy parallels that of W. E. B. DuBois, a contemporary who had several of the identical targets for all African-Americans that Wright had. Whereas DuBois wrote his essays in a persuasive plea to the American individuals, Wright’s novel just relays the trials and tribulations of a black man who fought against the system of prejudice from whites, as well as the conflicts that he has with members of his personal race as a result of their inability to rise above these prejudices.

Philosopher René Descartes said, “I believe, as a result, I am,” and this sentiment is shown throughout the book by the young Wright. He sees that since colonial occasions, blacks have been treated as nothing at all, only property that could be bought and sold for the benefit of the white guys who had owned them as a result, the black population, especially in the deep South, believed that they, although freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, were still bound by shackles of slavery. As a outcome of their disenfranchisement, numerous blacks created a negative self-image, in which they removed numerous necessary components of the human soul, such as the understanding that they had been equal to their white oppressors, full with the exact same passions, feelings, and needs. As a means of surviving in an imposing environment, blacks followed the path that they had identified given that just before the Civil War, that of the “inferior” laborer, hoping that a single day their physical function efforts would give them enough economic help to modify the technique. In following a path such as this, blacks were forced to abandon a lot of of the dreams which Wright and DuBois held strongly, such as the capability to be intellects and hold positions as writers, medical doctors, and professors and allowed themselves to be treated as they had been ahead of the Civil War.

By examining history, we recognize that the social or political powers of the past have always feared literacy amongst the laity, for with understanding comes energy. This is a struggle that we see in Black Boy. We this struggle to stifle intelligence in each sections of the book, but by two very various and opposing groups. 1st, as a child, Richard’s attempts at literacy are stifled by his grandmother, a pawn of white society. In the second section of the book, we see how the Communist party shares the very same worry that the Deep South holds, that the blind followers of the Communist celebration will rebel against authority. Wright vehemently disagrees with each doctrines of illiteracy, for he can see the motives behind them, as he is a self-educated man, and being so, finds flaws in the systems that rule the planet about him. He sees that intelligence is the important to an efficiently run society, one particular in which everybody can make their own choices primarily based upon the information and their feelings, rather than getting misled.

Although Richard is unaware why at the time, he finds this need to attain a heightened intellectual level at a young age. When his mother moves the loved ones to Jackson to reside with Richard’s grandmother, the young boy becomes interested in the novel that the young schoolteacher is reading for pleasure. Intrigued to see someone of his personal color reading, he questions Ella about her book, only to witness what the older generation, one which was raised in slavery, believed of leisure reading. Granny, so enraged by the distinction in values in between herself and the young schoolteacher, instantly scolds both Richard and Ella for reading. By hanging on to the doctrines that slave owners taught to slaves, that they have been not intelligent enough to learn, Granny, a standard representative of the black community then, aids to contribute to the ignorance that is see in numerous blacks at the time. She is unaware that the explanation that she had been taught about the “evils” of reading was for the sole purpose of holding blacks at their existing level of considering. She does not recognize that the material possessed in many books could help blacks to prove their equality and give ammunition for the fight against racism and injustice. Richard, for reasons unknown even to him, is drawn to the information contained in the books, and seeking back on his life, understands how crucial these very first novels had been to him. Though they served as a indicates to entertain him with their stories of brave heroes and violence, they also offered him with the energy to realize several issues that a lot of of his peers could not see. This hobby that he located as a youngster was the basis for his ability to decipher the dense components he study as a young adult, when he borrowed books from the library which dealt with political theory and the troubles that authors have been seeing in society. Right after reading, he realizes that if identified by the black community, these concepts would give them the power to rise above the blanket of prejudice in the South.

The Communist Party that Richard writes for as a young man also shares this sentiment that expertise is bad for the general public. The leaders of the celebration understood that many of its followers would be interested in reading, and for this purpose, put out its own publications. If members were caught reading components that have been of a distinct opinion than that of the leaders, those members had been chastised. Regardless of whether or not the reader was influenced was of no importance, as Richard learns when he asks one of the members what would it mean if he have been reading Trotsky, for there was so significantly fear that readers could possibly be influenced that the selection had to be eliminated.

The majority of the blacks that Wright introduces us to in the book all appear to hold onto the values that have been offered to them by the exact same energy that they were fighting against. This was a common practice at this time, for a lot of blacks felt that they had been too powerless to fight however. They felt that if they followed the plans that white males had set out for them, then they would a single day be in a position to break free of charge of the bars of discrimination discovered in the South. This was a main argument at the time, whether or not blacks should be laborers and try to accumulate wealth, a single day being rich adequate to have energy, or whether or not they should turn out to be educated, and in a position to lead an intellectual revolution, proving to doubters that they were equal to whites in their capability. This doctrine of operating and waiting for the day when absolutely everyone would be free is the exact type of doctrine that Wright despised. We see this in many situations, but two in particular. 1st, his experiences with Shorty at the hotel and second with his attitudes towards religion. He becomes utterly dismayed by Shorty’s actions, for not only does Shorty permit the white men to beat him like a slave, but also simply because this is just an instance of blacks permitting whites to rule them in order to acquire quick gratification.

Religion, one more example of the black’s willingness to endure pain and strife is a quite crucial aspect of the novel, for we see Richard disregarding its worth altogether. His attitude towards religion stems from numerous distinct directions, but most importantly, his contempt is fueled by the reality that many blacks had been making use of religion as a symbol of genuine life. Blacks employed stories in the Bible as a implies of justifying the pain about them. They were preached sermons declaring how much suffering that Jesus and his disciples or Moses and his men and women endured, and how wonderful the advantages had been when they died and went to Heaven. This parallels their concepts that they had been willing to endure all the discomfort and suffering on Earth, so long as they would live a excellent life in Heaven following death. They ignored the reality that their oppressors followed the identical religion, expecting the identical rewards, but had been also enjoying the rewards of living happily on Earth.

Black Boy presents a very convincing argument for the cultivation of the black man’s intelligence, even though it in no way explicitly advocates it. The message lies under the surface, that expertise is the very best weapon that we have in any fight. This is expressed by instance, as we see how effortless it is for the uneducated to be manipulated by these with far more knowledge. We see how straightforward it is for Richard to sell insurance coverage to them. We see how simple it is for the Communists to rally support for the party, even even though numerous members do not even comprehend a lot of the doctrine. Wright merely shows us the proof, and in carrying out so, tends to make it blatantly clear his position on where blacks stood at the time of the book’s publication. He sees the commence of the racial equality movement and sees its potential, offered that both the leaders and followers are educated. He tells the story of his personal life so that readers can realize his attitudes by finding out what experiences shaped them. He knows that the path toward progress is a trial and error process, and he is showing us what he has noticed function and what he has observed fail. In undertaking so, he tries to guide readers make change by arming themselves with knowledge rather than wealth, to attempt to make a difference now alternatively of waiting for the future.