A Man Who Was Almost a Man

Coming of age is a young person’s transition from adolescence to adulthood. For most this can be a very difficult time and can cause a lot of pressure, especially for teenagers. In Richard Wright’s The Man Who Was Almost a Man, the main character, Dave, thinks he is ready to show everyone that he is a man. Dave wants people to give him more respect and treat him like a man; however, his actions seem to backfire leaving him with less respect than he had before.
In the beginning of the story, when Dave is introduced, right away we gain knowledge of the fact that Dave wants a gun. He believes if he shoots a gun then the black people he works with in the fields “can’t talk to him as if he were a little boy.” Dave’s only desire is to become a man. He feels as if people treat him as if he were a young child.
Dave goes to Mr. Joe’s store to borrow his catalog so that he can find a gun to purchase, but he discovers that Mr. Joe is selling his own gun for only two dollars. He takes the catalog home in attempts to bring the idea to his mother. Dave knows that he can easily persuade his mother so he goes to her instead of his father. When Dave makes the decision to go to his father, the readers of the story begin to see that Dave still holds onto childish characteristics. After a little bickering, she finally gives in and tells him he can by the gun since Dave convinces her that the family is in need of a firearm. His mother then made Dave promise to get the gun and return straight home. Dave gets very excited that she is finally giving him the money to buy the gun, which he runs off without hesitation to purchase it.
The night he gets the gun, he sleeps in the field instead of going home like he had promised. My breaking this promise to his mother, Dave, yet again, portrays another childish act. While he holds the gun, he strokes the barrel feeling more power with each