The Man Who was Almost a Man

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"The Man Who Was Almost a Man" was written by Richard Wright. It is a story about a young man who wants to hurry into manhood. However, he was unsuccessful in attempting to be a man (Wright, 1983). The story consists of various elements that helped it achieve its goal of representing authentic characters and events.
The author used dialect to better characterize the characters in the story. Wright used two different dialects. For Dave and the rest of the black people, he used a dialect wherein words are omitted and sometimes unclear. Joe and Mr. Hawkins used standard English (Wright, 1983). Wright differentiated the dialect to distinguish between these two groups of people. The whites are the people who have incomes and higher social status. Meanwhile, the blacks are the enslaved people who are nothing in society. Wright has successfully shown the distinction, and it has helped the readers understand and appreciate the text more.
The story ends with Dave escaping and going to a place where he can freely feel and act like a man (Wright, 1983). The story’s ending may bring positive and negative outcomes to the characters. It is favorable for Dave since he no longer needs to pay two dollars a month for the mule he killed. More importantly, he has already escaped their home, where he feels tiresome and unvalued. However, it is unfavorable for Dave’s family and Mr. Hawkins. Dave’s family may be furious with his actions; however, they will also be worried about Dave. Mr. Hawkins also loses a mule, a worker, and money. Moreover, Dave can also be in danger because of his actions. He may face different challenges as he goes along wit...