Question

In about 250 words, describe how the themes in "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" interact and build on each other.

Answer 1

Answer:

The themes in "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" interact and build with each other in many ways. Alot of the central ideas that pop up around the themes that i can easily notice are the themes of the working plantation, race, family , money , and a gun they all seem to be mentioned throughout "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" and they build and interact with eachother later building great themes for the story.When i bring up Mr.Hawkin's work plantation and how it builds and interacts with the theme these are results and details of the theme buliding with Jim's plantation. The gun Dave wants to buy so badly is to be bought with money earned from hard working hours at the plantation , Jim's plantation there makes a central connection with one of the other many mentioned things in the story "money" they both build and interact several themes in the story where all 3 things combine to make a theme in the cases with these mentioned themes the items brought together are , Jim's Plantation , The gun , and money , which make up the themes of several different occasions in the story.Race and family come out creating another theme secret doubts or feelings towards different races but when events occur all races seem to be generally getting along despite the doubts, fears, and thoughts about whites and blacks mentioned by some characters.

Answer 2

There are two main themes that dominate the story "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" by Richard Wright. These two themes interact and build on each other throughout the story.

The first theme is that of power. This is clear throughout the story in all the decisions Dave makes. In the story, Dave wants to own a gun. However, the gun is seen as a way to become powerful and masculine, something he has been denied. He cannot keep the money he earns, he has to obey his parents, he is not respected among his peers. This leads him to want to accomplish power in any way he can find. Moreover, he is denied this autonomy because of racial reasons.

On the other hand, the story also has a component of a coming-of-age story. Dave wants to achieve autonomy, and he wants to be able to act freely. He also wants to be more independent and more of an adult, which in turn signifies more power. This is why he gets the gun. And in this way, both themes are related and build on each other. However, Dave discovers that having more power does not equal being more of an adult.