"The man who was almost a man" speaks of Dave, who had conflicts with gaining recognition and respect, because he was young. He wanted to grow up and become a man. For this he bought a weapon, thinking that it would make him grow as a man. Seeking power, he buys this weapon, to feel powerful, unstoppable. All these conflicts of the dave age led him to make some bad decisions. The story well specifies this when he accidentally shoots a mule, and he cannot sustain the excuse he made up for it, and when he decides to take a train and go to a city where he would be able to man up.
Dave's character in "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" is much like any other normal teenage boy in his time he would work and he'd fantisize about having a gun because he felt that he was close to soon becoming a man , but he does have a bit of an immature mindset even though he thinks of himself of more of a man then he actually is. It seems that Dave happens to think getting a gun will make him more of a man but obviously with that mindset he has alot of thinking to do but , reasoning for that can be seen here , "Them n******; can't understan nothing. one of these days he was going to get a gun and practice shooting, then they couldn't talk to him as though he were a little boy." In the story although Dave's development starts with that , later after he finally gets the gun hes been waiting so long for , he ignores his mothers instructions and gets away with not handing her the gun after he buys it which they agreed on. Dave finds himself up and early to take his gun to work with him at Jim Hawkin's plantation and possibly get the chance to shoot his new gun and test it out.In the story here it describes the emotions and thoughts that go through Dave's head as he just accidently shot his boss's mule on accident by shooting with his eyes closed , "Jenny...Jenny , he called weakly . His lips trembled. She's bleeding t' death! he looked in the direction of home wanting to go back, wanting to help, but he saw the psitol laying in the damp black clay. That show's that at the beginning of the development of dave he really wants a gun and now that he has done something bad with his gun he feels as if he does not want to mention the truth or the gun even though he does get the best emotions out of him with many people having to see him cry and admit to his mistake after trying to cover it up , it seems later that his development does not get any better maturity wise but he does attempt to keep his shooting development ambitions alive becaus ethe nect morning after the incident he goes shooting again with the major improvemnt of keeping his eyes open. Overall Dave still has a lot of developing to do.
