Symbolism in Wright's "The Man Who Was Almost a Man"

Introduction: Symbolism and Character Development in Short Fiction

How authors portray character development is often as much of an art as fiction writing itself. Especially within the brief context of the short story, character development is frequently compacted into a combination of narrative cues and underlying symbolism that allows the reader to infer whether characters are developing in any positive way, or whether they are stagnating in a static position. Richard Wright uses symbolism in his work "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" to convey the lack of development in the protagonist Dave. Although Dave tries desperately to gain respect as a man, he fails miserably and remains in a stunted position of immature adolescence.

When dealing with short stories, the task of character development becomes a complicated endeavor. There is simply not the room or length to illustrate the complexity of character development through narrative strategies alone (Werlock 450). Thus, short story authors often turn to symbolism and imagery to convey messages about character development (Werlock 218). Symbols are an important part of any piece of fiction, whether long or short. According to the research, symbolism "provides us with a transcendent embodiment of the meaning" (Kumar & McKean 349). The symbols an author chooses take on the role of conveying meaning by making larger correlations to themes and images within the text. Within the context of a short story, symbols become a major vehicle for illustrating character development and plot movement.

Richard Wright's Background and Symbolic Style

The stories that Wright creates in his fiction are extremely compelling. Many are based on his personal experiences in the South, where he grew up during a volatile period marked by immense racial and economic tension. Richard Wright was born in the Deep South, near Natchez, Mississippi, in 1908 (Brigano ix). From an early age, Wright witnessed hardship and pain as he struggled to find his way into manhood from a troubled childhood. He grew up in a world where African American men could not live "with dignity and without fear in a world dominated by white men" (Brigano ix).

Wright had his own difficulties with the concept of manhood. He had no one to look up to as a growing adolescent; when he was only five years old, his father abandoned the family (Spack 103). This is why such themes appear throughout a number of his short stories and novels. His style of writing is also distinctive, allowing for an interesting perception of his thematic structures. Wright was known for immersing his works with symbolism so as to enrich the fiction without directly stating explicit themes (Brigano xi). He therefore relied on symbolism to draw out many of his themes within short stories like "The Man Who Was Almost a Man." This story is set in the rural South and centers on a young African American adolescent as the main protagonist. It chronicles Dave's failed attempt to gain respect and a sense of masculinity. Throughout the work, Wright employs symbolism to construct the lack of development in Dave's character as he fails to secure a more mature position for himself and instead remains mired in the immaturity of adolescence.

The Fields: Setting as Symbol

There are a number of underlying symbols within Wright's short story that begin to reveal the true character of Dave. The fields in which Dave works are a major symbol that helps construct the mood and mindset of the characters, especially the teenage protagonist. The fields are described as incredibly bleak, conveying a sense of miserable existence for those who work them. This desolate backdrop helps expose the reasons why Dave would want to look for something better in his life. Moreover, the lack of definitive details regarding the agricultural setting directs the reader toward the stronger symbol of the gun. In a way, the audience taps into Dave's misery — they feel the bleakness surrounding him, and so when the image of the gun is introduced, they can understand why Dave focuses so intensely on what it represents. The bleak imagery of Dave's surroundings thus sets up the more powerful symbolism attached to the gun.

Conclusion: Dave as a Static Character

Overall, it is clear that Wright uses symbolism within his short story to convey the notion that the main character, Dave, has not developed into the man he hopes to be. Rather than finding respect and maturity behind the barrel of a gun, he finds only a failed attempt at growth. Wright uses the symbolism of the fields, the mule, and the gun to show how Dave has stagnated and become a static character, without the prospect of progressing toward a more mature sense of masculinity. As such, Dave is doomed to remain less than a man.

Works Cited

Brigano, Russel Carl. Richard Wright: An Introduction to the Man and His Works. University Press, 1970.

Kumar, Shiv K., and Keith McKean. Critical Approaches to Fiction. Atlantic Publishers, 2003.

Spack, Ruth. The International Story: An Anthology with Guidelines for Reading and Writing about Fiction. Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Werlock, James P. The Facts on File Companion to the American Short Story. Infobase Publishing, 2010.

Wright, Richard. "The Man Who Was Almost a Man." The Pearson Custom Library: Introduction to Literature, edited by Kathleen Shine Cain, Kathleen Fitzpatrick, and Janice Neulib, Pearson, 2012, pp. LIT 382-02.