In Native
Son and Black Boy, hunger is
represented as more than just a desire/need for food. Explain how hunger is
played out through a specific character’s actions or ideology. Identify the
TYPE of hunger i.e. hunger for knowledge/education etc. How does hunger shape
the character’s perspective and his/her relationship with others? Consider if
the hunger has a negative and/or positive impact on the character’s/s’ actions.
In Black Boy by Richard Wright, religion plays a major role throughout Part 1 of the novel. Richard Wright’s family believed in religion and God. For them, it was a safe haven and a sense of community, a community that has a mutual support base (God). Richard himself was a young boy that abided by his mother’s wishes until he began to rebel. Richard went to church and church school. He even got baptized but he was baptized because of social pressure. He did not want to hurt his mother more than he already has and embarrass her from the congregation.
ReplyDeleteRichard Wright eventually started to tell his family members that he did not believe in religion or God. His mother beat him because his opinion differed from that of his families. Richard would not embrace religion and this truly affected the central plot of the book because Richard did not have family support and he was an outcast. Richard tried to appease his grandmother by telling her he would pray everyday but in actuality the act of pray makes him laugh. He was the only family member to rebel and he paid for it. He was made to go to a Religious school with his aunt. Eventually, he left this school and went to a public school.
Unfortunately, Richard’s family is cold and hostile toward him. His family refuses to help him pay for public school textbooks. He further irritates his family when he tries to get a job on Saturday’s which is considered a religious day.
Sorry, not quite sure why I published this in "HUNGER." I put it under religion too.
DeleteIn Black Boy, by Richard Wright, Hunger is a theme that plays a part throughout the whole story. In the beginning it is a non-issue because he is provided for by his father, but after his father leaves their family, Richard always makes mention of how hungry he is. This is not just a hunger for food, even though this is a large part of the problem. We find out that even though he does not complete his education, Richard is an exceptionally intelligent person who thirsts and hungers for knowledge. And even though he tries to hide it as much as possible, even when he travels to the north in the second part of the book, his desire for knowledge eventually leads him to the communist party, where he believes he can have a voice and also continue to write. It is here where he receives magazines which help him to learn more and get a world view. Because of this, his hunger for learning is beginning to be satisfied, yet there is sometimes still a literal hunger for food throughout the story. These two themes tie in well together
ReplyDeleteIn Black Boy, by Richard Wright, hunger was displayed in various ways throughout the text. In the beginning of the novel hunger was displayed through the literal meaning. Wright was hungry for food, always. Wright became hungry for food after his father abandon his family, and left them with no money to provide for themselves. Wright went day in and day out with almost nothing to eat and sometimes it literally was nothing. Wright pained and became ill because of this hunger, it caused him to act out in ways he would have never before if it wasn't for this constant hunger. Wright would do anything for food to cure his hunger he went as far as asking his father for money for food but this got him nowhere but a deeper hunger. Wright then began to associate his fathers face with his hunger and this caused him to resent his father. This literal meaning of hunger caused Wright to destroy a relationship.
ReplyDeleteAs you continue on throughout the novel Write then describes his hunger in a sense of knowledge. Wright was constantly hungry for knowledge. He was so enthralled by everything that he was learning he couldn't get enough. Wright even forged a mans signature to take out library books to read, Write was just gobbling up information about everything. He was so interested in the world and how it worked he constantly was hungry for more. This hunger created positive relationships for Write because it allowed him to talk about his thoughts and meet new people, but still made him into a hungry monster.
Hunger for Wright was negative in relationship to his actions and it was everlasting.
In Black Boy, by Richard Wright, hunger is seen throughout the novel. From the very beginning, when his father leaves his family to be with his mistress, the idea of hunger or starvation begins to develop. Richard is constantly hungry, and his mother and family are too poor to provide food on the table. So hungry, that his mother forces him to beg his father for food or money. As one may have predicted his father claims he cannot help them, and as a rude gesture offers Richard a nickel. To show his disrespect for his father, Richard declines the offer even though he knows any money could help at the moment. Not only does Richard have a sense of hunger for food, he has now developed a hunger for knowledge or education. His curiosity and rebellious behavior has led him to this. He wants to learn things on his own, through reading and interpreting, which was unheard of for blacks to do during this Jim Crow Era. His constant hunger for food along with his determination (or hunger) to gain knowledge serves as two of the main themes throughout this story. His father's disappearance, along with the conditions he faced on an everyday basis living in poverty with limited food has caused these themes to be very noticeable for the reader.
ReplyDeleteIn Black Boy, by Richard Wright, hunger is a big part of the novel. From the very beginning where hunger in a literal sense is present it carries throughout the story. Once his father leaves hunger is very relevant. Their family is too poor to provide food for Richard and he was constantly hungry. His main focus throughout his days at this point was trying to feed himself. Richard started to place hunger and his father in the same category and blamed his father for his hunger. The next hunger in Richards’s life was for knowledge. Richard was constantly hungry for knowledge. He went as far as asking a white man to get books from the library for him which he knew could get him in serious trouble. I believe this hunger for knowledge made him who he is today and also why his writing is so deep and powerful.
ReplyDeleteIn Richard Wright's Black Boy, the theme of hunger is present throughout the entire novel. There are many different forms in which hunger as a theme is shown to us in the novel. However the two most prevalent forms of hunger that are shown to us are the literal hunger that Richard and his family go through throughout the entire book as they are trying to fight their way through the Jim Crowe South in order to stay alive. We also see this same physical hunger when he and his family move up north to Chicago as they still struggle to keep jobs and make enough money to feed them and also are constantly on the move in search of affordable housing. However we see another form of hunger that is portrayed by the main character Richard in the form of mental hunger. Richard strives to find out information whether it comes from reading books or whether it is from learning from his actions or actions of other people. Richard learns that in the community that is the Jim Crowe Deep South, an educated black man is a threat to society and it is frowned upon by not only members of the black community but the members of the white community as well as he is put down by everyone for his pushes to further his education.
ReplyDeleteIn Black Boy, hunger is represented as more than just a desire/need for food. Wright's family obbiously was "hungry" for throughout majority of the novel going through all the hard times whether it be the great depression or the lack of support from Richard's father who abandoned him and Ella in the 1st chapter. But when talking about Wright's other form of "hunger", on of the 1st examples we see of this, is when he starts getting curious about the relation's between whites and blacks and to understand the situation in the south at the time. The "hunger" feeling really molds Richard into who he becomes throughout the novel, throughout the novel we see how he yearns for a chance at writting and being able to share that with the public and to be able to build a bridge with his writting to connect not just white and black people in society, but rather every American citizen to become one. By wanting to do this Wright struggles throughout with others in sharing his opinions and can never really find steady company for to long before having to move on. That being said, I feel as though Richards "hunger" has a positive effect on him because it really was his engine that drove him to fight on and strive to become who he became as the author of his auto-biography and change peoples lives after reading this novel for not only African Americans but any ethnicity who reads his book.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of “hunger” is apparent throughout the entire story of Black Boy. In the beginning, it is simply seen just in its literal sense of actual hunger for food. His family cannot provide for Richard and his brother growing up, especially after his father leaves them and refuses to send money. They are literally starving. Slowly, we see that Richard’s “hunger” turns into more than just an empty stomach. He yearns and craves knowledge. He has a hunger for learning and education. He wants to learn more about blacks and whites. He wants to know how to read, and once he does learn how to read, he cannot get enough. Book after book, he learns more and more about the south and their cultural views on blacks. He wants to know why and how people in the south think the way they do. As Richard grows older, we see his “hunger” increase even more. He is not satisfied with simply living in Tennessee. He wants to move to Chicago. Why? - To learn more and satisfy his hunger for knowledge by seeing and experiencing a non-racist community and environment. Richard is constantly questioning and wondering. His knowledge is never enough and he is never satisfied with what he knows. He experiences actual hunger many more times throughout the story. Later on, towards the end of the book, he is still wondering about communism and trying to understand the concept of it and the motives behind the party. Even up to the last page of the book we are seeing him question the world around him. His yearning for knowledge never ceases. The theme of “hunger” is present from the beginning of the novel all the way through the end and is one of the strongest motifs throughout the story.
ReplyDeleteIn Richard Wright's "autobiography" Black Boy, he talks about many different themes. The one that stood out to me was definitely hunger. Richard Wright was not just hungry for food, he was hungry for learning, reading, and writing among many other things like stability. The stability ended after his Uncle died so he was searching for this his whole life. He was hungry for knowing things. In other words he was curious. Richard wanted to know everything about everything. Richard didn't live too good of a life, and thought that moving to Chicago would change his life in a great way. He learned the opposite after getting there. He wanted to escape his real world life. He was hungry for reading and writing. He realized that this helps him escape and he loves every bit of it. He reads and writes all day. His hunger for reading and writing is never fulfilled. He craves it. He lives for it. What his hunger did for him was push him to find many different jobs with many different people. It forced him into a communist group which he later realized he needed to get out of. Basically, Richard's hunger made him who he is today. He is an amazing writer and is very intelligent because of his hunger to read. He really is an inspiration to other "hungry" people in the world, whether it be for reading and writing or anything else.
ReplyDeleteRichard Wright's novel/autobiography Black Boy has many different themes that jumped out to me personally as a reader. Although there are many themes throughout the course of the story I feel that the theme of hunger is very evident throughout the entire story. For the majority of Richards life he lives in poverty. In the beginning of the story the theme of hunger is literal for Richard and his brother. His mother finds it increasingly difficult to support herself and her two children after her husband leaves her and the boys. This leaves Richard to grow up without a father figure in his life. I feel that because Richard does not have a father figure he is very curios about many different things. Richard's curiosity gets him in trouble in his younger years. Being a young African-American boy in the Jim Crow deep south curiosity can get you beaten or even killed. I think that this is primarily what Richard's mother is worried about. She sees his curiosity as a negative thing, however I feel that it could very possibly have been Richard curiosity that led him to his hunger for knowledge that develops later on in the story. It is evident that Richard is determined to obtain knowledge when he uses somebody else's library card and a forged note so that he can have the opportunity to read books instead of just newspapers and magazines. At this time in the Jim Crow era it is unheard of for an African-American to have such a constant determination to learn more about the world around him. In the end Richard's struggle and determination pays off when he realizes that he can make an impact on the world through his writing.
ReplyDeleteWithin the novel Black Boy by Richard Wright, hunger is an overlapping theme that can be found within nearly every page of the text. Hunger is representational of many things in Richard’s life; it can be seen as a literal interpretation of starvation, yet it can also be seen as an indirect representation of Richard’s curiosity found throughout the novel. Early into the opening chapter of the novel we find Richard starving for some sort of food. When he asks his mother where dinner is, she simply places the blame upon his father who seems to be absent for the time being. In doing so, Richards now associates the absence of his father alongside the theme of hunger. This hunger forces Richard to asks questions in regards to food and his current living situation. The hungrier Richard becomes, the more we see him develop as a young child. This hunger is instrumental within the development of Richard as a child. As hunger becomes to take a metaphysical role within his life, the reader begins to see hunger motivate Richard’s need for understanding. On page 24 we once again see the curiosity Richard possesses come to the forefront of his growth into adulthood. On this page Richards mother explains to him the racial tensions that are present within the Jim Crow south. Richard comes to an epiphany in regards to race as a result of his hunger for understanding. Without the use of hunger throughout the text, the novel would suffer from a lack of characterization in regards to Richard’s character.
ReplyDeleteIn Native Son the prospect of hunger and starvation is what propels Bigger's mother to be so hard on him. She sees food and shelter as the two most important things to keep her family together. Bigger thirsts for an occupation that he would enjoy doing yet would also pay well although the only thing he seemed to enjoy was illegal activity. In Black Boy Richard Wright seems to always be hungry literally and figuratively. In writing both books I feel as though Mr. Wright was ahead of his time and in doing so has made his work relatable to the current generation of black men.
ReplyDeleteIn Native Son by Richard Wright, it’s hard to discuss just one theme because in a way they all tied into one another. The main character Bigger was driven by all of themes discussed within this blog, but his hunger was what the reader is first introduced to. Bigger was hungry for an equal opportunity more than anything. Bigger wanted more than anything, a chance to get to do what the white man was allowed to do, and a chance to be all that the white man had in those days, especially power. We see this in the beginning of the story while he’s sitting with Gus, watching a plane fly by he states “I could fly one of those is I had the chance” and when his friend mock him in a joking manor Bigger says again “I could fly a plane if I had a chance.” (page 20) Bigger’s hungered is what caused him to fear the white man because he believed he would never get it and always be inferior it then led him to act out in anger towards all those around him, which eventually led Bigger to become very violent, making his friend lick his blade, killing Mary, and also killing Bessie. All in all Bigger’s hunger was very negative, and caused him to see and do negative things.
ReplyDeleteNFloyd-W.
In Richard Wrights Native Son, a novel that was set in 1940 you can see a common problem as in today’s society. African American without proper education has struggled to live and maintain a level of self-worth still to this day. In this novel Bigger Thomas was hungry to be in charge of his life as a man. A man is supposed to run the house and take care of the family. The media and film portrayed a healthy life of good living, education, and sex lives for whites; while blacks are portrayed as lesser, only the help. Living cramped up in a studio apartment infested with rats. Giving very little hope that there life could be better.
ReplyDeleteBlack men were dealt with no respect from the whites, being called boy never by your name or even looked at as a man. Being demeaned in own your home were you should be respected as the man of the house. Bigger was hungry not to be labeled as the fool, and lazy bum of the family. Bigger was hungry to be equal and not feel inadequate around whites or his family. Had he not feared the ramifications of how the whites would treat him he would have never killed Mary. Bigger understood how black men were treated for even speaking to white women. Conformed to the brutal treatment of his forefathers he did what he thought was the best for him. Even in the end hungry to show Max how he felt about what he had done. “I didn’t want to kill!” Bigger shouted. “But what I killed for, I am! It must’ve been pretty deep in me to make me kill!” (Wright 391-392) Bigger was hungry to be heard as an equal and as a man. The only time the media perceive a black man is when he kills, steals, and act like a savage. If he is accomplishing his goals and being a man taking care of his family, nine times out of ten this will never make it to the media. Not to make excuses for our black men but like bigger they seem to follow the media and what is portrayed as the hip black male. Wake up my beautiful black men it is time for a change, you can be anything you set your mine to be. Break the chains and claim your rightful places, Kings you come from greatness.
Hunger is a theme in Black Boy that is strategically placed by Richard Wright. As he depicts this gripping novel of his life, we are captivated by many situations he stumbles in to. Personally, hunger is the most elusive to me. There is not a better way to capture the hunger Richard and his siblings faced, than reading this first person account. Specifically I want to discuss the hunger for actual food. Many a times throughout the novel, did Richard hunger. The most attention-grabbing quote concerning hunger appeared to me in chapter one :
ReplyDelete“Hunger stole upon me so slowly that at first I was not aware of what hunger really meant. Hunger had always been more or less at my elbow when I played, but now I began to wake up at night to find hunger standing at my bedside, staring at me gauntly. The hunger I had known before this had been no grim, hostile stranger; it had been a normal hunger that had made me beg constantly for bread, and when I ate a crust or two I was satisfied. (pg. 14)
I don’t believe that there is a better way to describe hunger that Richard was privy to. It is sad, the way the boy begged and denyed the fact that he was hungry at all. I believe that hunger as a theme really took the reader in, and made us more aware of the serverity that surrounded what Richard went through.