Hello, David is thinking about his quest for manhood, which he connects with
owning a gun. Because he is “almost a man,” he believes that he should
own the symbol of manhood: a gun. Borrowing a mail-order catalog from a
local store owner so that he can look at the pictures of revolvers,
David becomes obsessed with thoughts of guns, becoming a man, and, most
important, the strategy that he must use to persuade his mother that he
should be able to buy a gun. A real man doesn't need a gun.
The use of dialogue in the short story "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" contributes to the overall meaning of the story in some important ways because it brings together the central idea and themes plus ultimately it gives the audience an interesting and more intrigued feeling while reading the short story. Dave begins in a dialogue of his own thoughts that reveal the central idea of the story , which is Dave and his quest for a gun which he feels is a part of his coming to man hood and maturing. While trying to convince a store owner to let him borrow a catalogue and reveals his desires for a gun , the store owner ends up offering the boy a gun of his own for sale for two dollars which then go on to bring the scenes in the story where the boy has to ask his mother for the money and explain his desires to her as well. He gets the gun and from there some bewildering incidents occur with David and his gun but the dialogue really plays a good and constructive role in the story.
