What does Dave do at the end of the man who was almost a man? Ironically, this makes Dave feel more like a man. He
shoots off his last remaining bullets
—and this time, “the gun [is] still in his hands” (209) after he fires.
What happens to Dave in The Man Who Was Almost a Man?
When he wakes up, Dave removes the gun and holds it in his hands, realizing that he now has the power to kill someone. He quietly gets out of bed and ties the pistol to his leg with an old strip of flannel. He then heads out to the fields where he works, and he accidentally runs into his boss, Mr. Hawkins.
What does being a man mean to Dave in The Man Who Was Almost a Man?
Why does Dave shoot the mule in The Man Who Was Almost a Man?
What does Dave’s getting on the train at the end of The Man Who Was Almost a Man symbolize?
How does Dave finally get a gun?
He thinks it will prove his manhood. How does Dave finally get a gun?
Joe, the white store owner, sells Dave a used pistol cheaper than he can buy one anywhere else.
What is the lesson of The Man Who Was Almost a Man?
Lesson Summary
Written by Richard Wright, the short story ‘A Man Who Was Almost a Man’ follows Dave Saunders, a 17-year-old African American farm laborer. Two important themes in the story are
the search for power and masculinity
. The search of power is seen through Dave’s wish to get a gun.
What is the short story The Man Who Was Almost a Man about?
It was originally published in 1940 in Harper’s Bazaar magazine, and again in 1961 as part of Wright’s compilation Eight Men. The story centers on
Dave, a young African-American farm worker who is struggling to declare his identity in the atmosphere of the rural South
.
What is the message of The Man Who Was Almost a Man?
Coming-of-Age Struggles
Restless, impatient, and taunted by the older men he works with, Dave believes that acquiring a gun will end his adolescence and transform him into a real man. Not surprisingly, however, Dave discovers that owning a gun only brings more problems and a much greater burden of responsibility.
Why does Dave shoot Jenny the mule?
He wants only the freedom that he imagines adults have without any of their obligations
. Jenny’s death is consequently the symbolic death of Dave’s childhood, which he wishes to erase to escape the community and a life of drudgery.
What does the mule symbolize in The Man Who Was Almost a Man?
The mule, most importantly, the death of the mule, symbolizes
Dave, his growth into a man, and the passing of childish ways
. Impulsively, Dave buys a gun thinking that it will make him a man because he believes the qualities of a man come with the gun itself.
Which two themes interact in this short story The Man Who Was Almost a Man?
The themes portrayed in “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” actually interact and build on each other. The theme of
desire for power and respect
is the first one that we read about in this short story.
What does Mrs Saunders want Dave to do with the gun after he buys it?
What does Mrs. Saunders want Dave to do with the gun after he buys it?
Give it to his father
.
Who is Jim Hawkins in The Man Who Was Almost a Man?
As
the white owner of a Southern plantation around the 1930s
, Mr. Hawkins is the employer of many Black field workers, including the Saunders family (Dave, Bob, Mrs. Saunders, and Dave’s younger brother).
When did Richard Wright write The Man Who Was Almost a Man?
“The Man Who Was Almost a Man” is a short story by Richard Wright that was first published in
1961
.
Who wrote The Man Who Was Almost a Man?
Richard Wright
What is the setting for this short story?
How old is Dave in The Man Who Was Almost a Man?
How old is Dave Saunders?
What does Dave want to purchase and what goes wrong in The Man Who Was Almost a Man?
Dave works for a farmer on a cattle farm and as he walks across the fields he begins thinking of ways that will prove to the other workers that he is a grown up. He decides that the perfect way to prove that he is a grown up is to purchase
a gun
.
What does Jenny represent in The Man Who Was Almost a Man?
What does Mrs Saunders want Dave to do with the gun after he buys it?
What does Mrs. Saunders want Dave to do with the gun after he buys it?
Give it to his father
.
