Growing up as a Negro in the South in the early 1900’s is not that easy, for
some people tend to suffer different forms of oppression. In this case, it
happens in the autobiography called Black Boy written by Richard Wright. The
novel is set in the early part of the 1900’s, somewhere in deep Jim Crow
South. Richard Wright, who is obviously the main character, is also the
protagonist. The antagonist is no one person in particular, for it takes many
different forms called "oppression" in general. The main character
over comes this "oppression" by rebelling against the common roles of
the black, Jim Crow society. Richard Wright’s character was affected in early
childhood by the effects of societal oppression, but he became a great American
author despite these negative factors in his life. Today everyone encounters
some form of oppression. One of the forms Richard is encountering is called
societal oppression. As an example, after Richard sees a "black" boy
whipped by a "white" man, he asks his mother why did the incident
happen. His mother says, " ‘The "white" man did not whip the
"black" boy…He beat the "black" boy, ’ "(31). This
quote is showing racism, which is one way of society keeping Richard Wright, and
all other blacks in the South down. Another example is when is at the rail road
station with his mother, and as they are waiting for the train, he sees
something he has never seen, "…for the first time I noticed that there
were two lines of people at the ticket window, a "white" line and a
"black" line," (55). This excerpt is demonstrating how this scene
of Jim Crow laws is keeping a certain group of people apart, which is also
another form of societal oppression. Societal oppression occurs again when
Richard is "hanging" out with his friends, and their conversation with
each other leads on to the subject of war. One of his friends really get into
the subject and says, " ‘Yeah, they send you to war, make you lick them
Germans, teach you how to fight and when you come back they scared of you,’
"(90). This quote means that the "white" people put the
"black" people on the front line to defend our country, and when they
come back, they can not accept them, therefore they oppress them in different
ways, which is societal oppression. The last example happens when Richard wants
to borrow a library card, and so he thinks about asking his boss. After thinking
about it for a while, he knew he could not ask him, for he knows the boss is a
Caucasian Baptist, and Richard thinks that he would not be able to accept the
fact of a "black" boy, such as Richard, would want to read and
cultivate his intelligence. This would be considered societal oppression, for he
knows his boss does not want Richard to be enlightened with books, in turn
keeping Richard away from the light of knowledge. These are examples of societal
oppression that Richard Wright overcomes and rises to the top on his own.
Internalized oppression is a hard thing to overcome. One of the ways Richard
Wright is confronted with internalized oppression is when he sees a
"black" boy being beaten by a "white" man, so he
automatically thinks that the "white" man is the boys father.
"…Did not all fathers, like my father, have the right to beat their
children? A paternal right was the only right, to my understanding…"
(31). This excerpt is showing internalized oppression, for he thinks it is okay
for a parent to abuse their child, in turn having the child think that beating a
child is okay, and only a parent can do the beating, which is completely wrong.
Another case of internalized oppression occurs when Richard says a bad word, and
then his Aunt Jody lectures him by saying, " ‘Richard, you are a very
bad, bad boy,’ "(108). Later in the passage, he also says that he does
not care that he is a "bad boy." That states that Richard believes
that he is a bad person, which means he is experiencing internalized oppression.
Later in the novel, after Richard read some books, he then wants to use the
words he has learned as weapons, but he could not, because by him using the
words it frightened him. This is internalized oppression, for Richard thinks of
the words as something sacred only white people can use. If he did use the
words, he feels as though he may get into trouble. Later in the novel, Richard
tries to identify himself with a book, but he feels guilty when he does so.
Therefore he acts in way so the whites will not dislike him. It is an internal
oppression, for he is keeping himself down by not physically expressing his
feelings that he has received from the books he has read. All of the above, are
examples of which later in the novel, Richard Wright conquers are of
internalized oppression. The way Richard Wright overcomes this abstract
oppression is reflected upon his personality, which helps him become that great
American author. One of the examples to prove this true, occurs when it was
Richard’s first day of school. "During that noon hour I learned all the
four-letter words describing physiological sex functions, and discovered that I
had know them before…A tall black boy recited a long, funny piece of doggerel,
replete with filth, describing the physiological relations between men and
women, and I memorized it word for word after having heard it but once,
"(32). This quote is showing how smart and quick-to-learn Richard is, which
is a part of his personality and ability to understand . Another example happens
when his Uncle Tom is about to whip Richard, so he shows the razors to his
uncle. In a low voice Richard says, " ‘If you touch me, I’ll cut you!
Maybe I’ll get cut too, but I’ll cut you, so help me God,’ "(175).
This passage is revealing that Richard is rebellious by standing up for himself
and confronting his uncle for something he did not do. Further on, when Richard
is confronted with the fact that white people like Negroes who stole from them,
than to know their own true self-worth. Richard is thinking, "But I, who
stole nothing, who wanted to look them straight in the face, who wanted to talk
and act like a man, inspired fear in them," (219). This passage is
demonstrating how bold and brave Richard is, for he wants to stand up for
himself against a white man who looked down on him. Later in the novel, Richard
is pondering on what he should do in his life. He knows he can not stay in the
South and willingly be kicked as Shorty had done. He would rather die, then do
what Shorty has already submitted to. This is showing how much strength and
pride Richard has. These are all examples of Richard Wright’s character, that
has helped him become the great author that he is. Societal oppression and
internalized oppression has affected Richard Wright in his early childhood
years. The negative factors he has overcame throughout his life, has contributed
to his rise as a great American author. One of the many themes, in the novel is
if you follow what you feel is wrong, then you may not be able to rise to the
top. In "Black Boy," Richard Wright did just the opposite. Instead of
submitting, like everyone else, to the low life, Jim Crow laws were intended
for, he has risen above those who already has submitted. Another universal theme
is that if you believe that you can achieve in anything, most likely you will
achieve in many things in life. In the novel at first, Richard did not believe
he can do anything to improve his life. Once he started to believe he can do
things on his own, he moved out of the South to become that great American
author. These are the themes in the novel Black Boy, that can be used for
everyday life, universally.