Black Boy by Richard Wright. Focuses on women which affected Wright throughout his autobiography.

Essay by babysprinkle16High School, 12th gradeA+, March 2002

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Black Boy

In the novel Black Boy, by Richard Wright, the author writes autobiographically about his childhood. Throughout his experiences, many different women affect Richard. He describes his relationships with his mother, Granny, and aunts. Each woman in his life influenced Richard's outlook in a different way. Granny happened to have a negative influence on him, though that was surely not her intention.

Early in his life, Richard lived with his mother, father, and brother in his grandmother's house. Granny was an extremely religious Seventh Day Adventist and insisted that her children and grandchildren follow her ways. Because of her fanaticism, Richard's mother chose to move her family elsewhere. After Richard's father left, and his mother fell ill, they were forced to live with Granny once again.

Living with Granny and her overbearing ways, Richard formed many opinions about life and the world. He describes the fact that he did not share the same religious views as his grandmother, and this was looked at as something strange and horrible.

Because he did not hold strong religious beliefs similar to Granny's, he was looked at as a sinner. So many times throughout the novel Granny and Richard's mother and aunts try to convince Richard to become more religious, and so many times he refused. He did not intend to be disrespectful or difficult, he simply could not go against his heart. At one point, Richard's aunt, Addie, became a teacher for a religious school, and he was forced to become a pupil. "The religious school opened and I put in a sullen attendance...This was the first time she had ever taught school and she was nervous, self-conscious because a blood relative of hers-a relative who would not confess her faith and who was not a member of her...