- What this story says about masculinity
- How violence figures into this text
- What Young Jeezy's "Gangsta Grillz" has to do with Wright's story
- How Dave's reaction to his violent act provides some new meaning to the story
- How Dave conceives of himself racially, and what that means in terms of his masculinity
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This short story, in my opinion, showed how many different outlooks there are regarding masculinity. In different environments, there are different outlooks on the steps of becoming a man. Dave definitely thought that he needed a gun to feel powerful and masculine. In my opinion, because he was so young, he should be looking forward to hitting puberty to “become a man” before buying a gun. But, it seems that masculinity is defined by what sort of area you are growing up in. Where I come from, boys are happy to see a hair or two on their chin as a young teenager or they’re happy that they just bought their first truck to drive around. It’s scary to me that a young kid would be able to buy a gun at that age, or in “Gangsta Grillz” that the young boy had access to play around with that gun in the music video. Regardless of how grown up someone thinks they are or what society pressures them into thinking is “manhood”, teenagers and young adults aren’t old enough to responsibly handle a gun. I understand having a shot gun and license for hunting purposes, but different sorts of hand guns and pistols shouldn’t be available to the younger population. The younger you are, the more likely you are to respond on impulse or based on emotions. Dave wished he had one more bullet to shoot at Jim Hawkins’ house. That is vandalism and could potentially hurt someone. Then the next time, Dave could be mad at someone and end up pointing the gun at a human being. Which is what brings us to the violence that occurs in places like Detroit and Flint Michigan. That is exactly what my cousin fell into, and is now in prison. It started with a couple pranks around his neighborhood in Flint. He as well thought he needed a gun to be a man. He bought one and shot at trees and small animals. Then he began pulling the gun out when he was confronted to flash his control and power over the other individuals, and eventually it led to gun shots being fired at other human beings. It all starts with the desire to feel powerful, or in Dave’s case, his desire to become a man.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the message Richard Write is ultimately trying to convey through this short story is that there is a huge difference between the idea of what being a man is and what being a man actually entails. Dave is focused on attaining material objects in hopes that he will no longer be viewed as a boy, but as a man. What better item is there to assert your "man hood" with but a gun then, right? Gun's are powerful, forceful, and dangerous weapons. They are feared by many but also glorified. I think Dave is so wrapped up in this idea of what being a man is that he believes just by owning a gun he will suddenly posses all of those qualities. This proves that Dave is far from being a man especially when he acts as impulsively and moronic as he does during certain situations that take place. The way he handled the situation with the mule was very childish and at the end when he decides to run away from all of his problems further validates that fact that Dave is still just a boy. Real men (and adults in general) face their problems, they do not hide from them. In Young Jeezy's "Gangsta Grillz" music video he makes it a point to be extremely flashy of his guns. He uses these images for intimidation purposes. It's almost like, "Hey,look at me, I have a bunch of powerful weapons and I'm showing them off to assert myself and my masculinity so don't mess with me". I think Young Jeezy's main goal in this music video is to convey fear in is rivals but to some it is just seen as flashy and over kill. This ties into Richard Wright's "The man who was almost a man" because both Young Jeezy and Dave are using specific objects to assert themselves while trying to achieve an image that in reality can only be achieved by knowledge, growth, and ones actions and behaviors.
ReplyDelete“The Man Who Was Almost A Man”
ReplyDeleteVeronica Brugmann
The short story “The Man Who Was Almost A Man” parallels to Richard Wright’s novel Native Son. The characters Dave (“The Man Who Was Almost A Man”) and Bigger (Native Son) are similar in many ways. Both characters commit a semi-accidental murder as a result of bad decisions. These murders create a violent feeling from which the characters become elated. Bigger is hired to drive a girl named Mary Dalton home. However, Mary returned so drunk that Bigger had to bring her upstairs. He accidentally suffocated her with a pillow trying to keep her mute while her blind mother is wandering nearby. Bigger could have told the mother what was happening before accidentally suffocating her. He could have also blamed the death on alcohol poisoning. However, in the stress of the moment, Bigger decides to shove her body into the furnace. Bigger at first frets over accidentally killing Mary, but as the book goes on he takes responsibility for it and becomes elated by the potential of manifesting his own violence. This is similar to what Dave experienced. When Dave shoots his mule, Jenny, he initially feels guilt and anxiety. However, he quickly overcomes this insecurity and has feelings of ecstasy over the thought of shooting his gun. Both characters relish in the feeling of control via violence. “In the gray light of dawn he held it loosely, feeling a sense of power” (Wright 5). “Bloooom! He smiled. Bloooom! Bloooom!” (Wright 9). In both of Wright’s writings, the main characters are initially freaked out by their murders but become exhilarated by the thought of assault as time continues.
In the story I think Dave represents most male teenagers. He wants to be respected and looked at like an adult, like most teenagers. A fast way to get that respect is with a gun. I personally know what it is like to have that power in your hands and shooting a gun is definitely masculine but it does not make you a man in any way. Thinking it will make you a man I believe is actually childish. Dave in my eyes is far from being a man. He does things without much thought, he bought a gun when he had no use for it, he shot it with out learning how to handle it properly, and he hopped on a train to run away to be a man. Being a man for me is doing what’s best for yourself, family and friends, also doing everything to the best of your ability. If you do those things I believe it makes you a man and being a man has nothing to do with power, the people in Young Jeezy’s video “Gangsta Grillz” are trying to show off their power by flashing weapons. This is interesting to me; the kid with the gun in the music video is just like Dave. He’s trying to come off as manly but in a way he is doing the opposite of that because he is flashing that gun. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the fact a kid has a gun, because it is a right that’s protected by the constitution but it is very childish way to seem tough.
ReplyDeleteIn the short story “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” masculinity is the main topic that is displayed. Dave felt that possessing a gun was a sign of masculinity. Throughout the story, Dave wanted to prove his masculinity to all of those around him. Sadly, Dave believed that killing another man would earn him more respect. I believe that Dave more so wanted respect from his father. From Dave’s point of view he seem intimated by his father. For example, Dave did not ask his father for permission to by the gun, but instead he asked his mother. I feel that author Richard Wright’s intention of writing this story was to educate the reader that objects don’t make a man, but it’s the mannerism and characteristics that makes a man. Young Jeezy’s “Gansta Grillz” is very compatible with the short story as both exhibited violence and masculinity. Dave and Young Jeezy believed that guns make a man. Young Jeezy is also a firm believer in the idea that strength in numbers increases masculinity. The purpose of Young Jeezy’s video was to degrade a rival rapper. In my opinion, if Young Jeezy wanted to come across a strong and powerful man, he should have the video alone without the guns. The young boy holding a gun in the Young Jeezy video reminded me of Dave. Both are young individuals with that possessed guns and promoted violence. Dave is an African-American teen struggles with all the obstacles that a teenager faces. Racially, I feel Dave conveys some self-hate towards African Americans. For instance, Dave wanted to kill his African American fellow co-workers.
ReplyDeleteThe short story ‘The Man Who Was Almost a Man’ displays an ironic reference to masculinity. In the beginning of the story Dave was so eager and determined that by buying a gun he could prove to himself and everyone that he is a man; not a teenager. I think Dave’s thoughts were ‘if I have a gun no one will treat me like a child anymore.’ He didn’t really think about the responsibility of a gun and the consequences of a gun. He kind of proved to himself and everyone he wasn’t a man after the accident with the mule happened. However, I think his way of becoming a man would be to deal with his consequences. I would think Dave would be a man if he stuck around and paid his consequence, but instead he ran away like a coward. This story reflects on Young Jeezy’s video because they both convey the concept of boys with guns trying to look like men. Having a gun in your hand to say you’re a man is useless, it doesn’t make you anymore of a man. It’s kind of like cheating on a test; once you get the good grade you’re happy and you’re teacher thinks you know the material, but really you don’t. You don’t know the material and didn’t contain the experience. Just like Dave thought he was a man with a gun in his hand, but he really wasn’t a man, he hasn’t gone through experiences that would build him up to be a man. Again, he would be a man if he paid is consequence.
ReplyDeleteCrumpl here,
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion I thought that this short story was not so much about masculinity, but more about greed and stupidity. I think that the author, Richard Write, was trying to show people that in order to become a man you have to do hard work and respect others so then you can gain respect back. No body becomes a man just because they turn 18 or because they have a weapon to kill somebody with. Instead the author is trying to explain to everyone that they cannot simply cheat their way up to man hood, or cheat their way up to seem more mescaline by owning a weapon. Richard Wright shows this though the main character, Dave, a simple everyday 17 year old boy who was sick and tired of working on a plantation and by the looks of it sick and tired of the other workers too. Dave though that if he had a gun he would simply be able to get rid of all him problems and gain peoples respect by flashing his gun around trying to scare people. This is no way to show masculinity, in fact this is just a way of showing fear and stupidity. What makes it even worse is the fact that Dave was so anxious to shoot the gun off, that he seemed more childish then manly. With this said, when he did eventually shoot the gun off he ends up killing his bosses’ mule making him look very dumb. In the end Dave confesses to killing the mule and ends up having to pay for it, but instead of doing the right thing and taking responsibility for his actions, Dave does the childish thing and runs away from his troubles thinking that he can be a man elsewhere.
In the short story, “The Man Who Was Almost a Man”, masculinity is the main topic that is being presented. The main character, David, believes that if he possesses a gun, he is “man”. After his mother tells him that he does not need a gun and that she won’t give him the money to get one, he continues on asking. When his mother finally agrees on him getting a gun from Mr. Joe, he manipulates his mother and does not do what she says. He believes that because he owns a gun, he is a “man”, and because he is a “man”, he has a sense of “power” now, that both black and white people should be scared of him because he has the ability to kill. What Dave doesn’t realize is that he is not a “man” just because he has a gun; he is still a boy who needs to grow up. He ends up shooting Mr. Hawkin’s mule by accident because he is incapable of controlling his desire to use the gun. The problem is that Dave won’t even own up to the fact that he used the gun and shot the mule, proving that he is not a real “man”. I believe Dave is not mature enough to understand what a “man” really is. Running away from his troubles in the end doesn’t show that Dave is a “man” as well. A “man” would own up to his mistakes, not hide from them. I just thought it was interesting that Dave believed he was a “man” just because he owned a gun, but his own father didn’t even have one. The author emphasized that just because you have something that makes you feel like you’re grown up, doesn’t mean you are.
ReplyDeleteI thought Dave related to the little boy in the Young Jeezy video who was holding a gun in his hand. This made him look like he had power, control, and the “feeling of being a man”, which I think is similar to Dave in the story. Just because one possesses something, doesn’t mean that they are what they think they are. Like many other people said, it looks even more immature and childish way to seem tough.
“The Man Who Was Almost a Man” written as a short story, I think talks about masculinity and wanting to be a man. Dave sees being a man as the way you act, and what you have. He thought the gun would finally show people that he was a man, and that they could no longer talk down to him. Being at almost the same age as Dave, I realize that you cannot just be a man by an item you have, but by how hard you work and what you make of yourself. In the Young Jeezy video, the kid may think that if he is waving around a gun, then no one will be able to mistreat or walk all over him. Neither Dave nor the kid from the video, in my opinion don’t care about causing harm, the violence is their way of making sure no one messes with them. The worst part is that Dave actually started to like shooting the gun, and even said he wished he had one more to shoot at Jim Hawkins’ house. This could have turned into a violent scene, but luckily, there were no bullets left. Dave may think, that as an African-American, he was almost powerless against everyone else, and getting a gun was the only way for him to show power. Just due to the fact that he was African-American, put him at a disadvantage because at the time, blacks were not considered to be men. This could have been the driving force and motivation for him to show the world that he was a man, and that no one could walk over him or overpower him. In reality he showed he wasn’t a man when he hid the gun from his mother, and then shot the mule and tried to lie about it.
ReplyDeleteI felt that this story focused on masculinity. Dave wanted to show his dominance by buying a gun. Once he had the gun, he could scare people into showing him some kind of respect or appraisal. But Dave is all bark and no bite. When he shoots the gun for the first time, he accidently hits and kills Jenny, the mule Dave uses to plow the fields at work. Immediately, Dave becomes scared and nervous, the very opposite of what he acted like before he used it. Once word gets out that he shot the mule, the crowd of villagers laugh at him, making him feel foolish and timid. Along with that, he must pay back Mr. Hawkins, his boss, fifty dollars for killing Jenny. So he does a cowardly thing by getting on a train at night and leaves home. So, I believe that what this story says about masculinity is that it isn’t shown by the way you look during a situation but how you react to it. He shows he’s “masculine” by carrying around a gun and showing that he’s no longer a child, but he acts like a child when he needs to take responsibility for his actions. Young Jeezy’s music video relates very well to the story because both of them have people trying to act “masculine”. In the music video, Jeezy uses footage of children with weapons and uses a lot of vulgar language throughout the song. He’s trying to show off a “don’t mess with me” type attitude so people will be timid of him. He uses intimidation to his advantage but if it came down to an actual situation where he had to use those guns, he’d do just what Dave did: walk away.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the short story "The Man Who Was Almost A Man", it was very well depicted that the main theme revolves around masculinity. Dave, who was only seventeen wanted to become a man and to do so felt he had to buy a gun. After buying the gun, he took it out to the woods for the first time, with the least bit of knowledge on how to operate it. After the first shot, he accidentally lost control of the gun and killed Jenny. I feel that as soon as Dave shot the mule, and seen her suffering, all his feeling of masculinity that he felt with the gun vanished. The gun no longer made him feel like a man and he wanted nothing to do with it as he kicked it and threw it in the creek. Masculinity is a important theme in this short story, as the main character continuously struggles with his identity. The gun is used as a symbol of masculinity in the beginning of the story, although in reality this is not a true quality of masculinity and having a gun does not turn ones-self into a man.That is proved shortly after, the gun hurt a living being and those feelings of manliness were stolen. The theme of masculinity can also be applied to Jeezy’s music video “Gangsta Grillz”. Throughout the entire music video there are men and kids holding guns and using profound language, trying to convey the message that they have power and masculinity. I feel that, all this music video conveyed to me, was that these men do not have true masculine qualities and feel they have to act in such way because they are having insecure feelings of their masculinity. I think that this a terrible problem in our world today, and is a leading cause of so many crimes and deaths because men feel they have power and masculinity when they are holding a gun in their hands. Overall, the theme of masculinity is an ongoing problem in both the shorty story and the music video and it is only handled with false and temporary satisfaction through the possession of a gun.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this short story, one of the themes that stood out to me was Dave’s desire to be treated with respect. In the first paragraph, he says that he wants to get a gun so that nobody will talk to him like a little boy anymore. I felt that this was a representation of how black people were treated in the mid-1900s; how they were thought to be not completely equal to white people, how a black man back then was treated as “almost a man”. Dave believes that the only way that he can change his position in society as someone who is looked down on, is to get a gun. He wants a gun so he will be feared by other people; he equates this fear with being taken seriously and respected.
ReplyDeleteAnother part of the story that I found interesting was when everyone gathers around Dave and the dead mule after Dave had just shot her. In this scene, after Dave finally tells the truth and admits that he accidently shot the mule because the gun jumped out of his hand when he fired it, everyone in the crowd begins to laugh at Dave. I found this scene very ironic because having a gun elicited the complete opposite reaction than Dave had expected. He believed that having a gun would make others take him seriously and respect him; however, after he got the gun, he was not respected and not taken seriously, he was laughed at.
This story gives us an interesting take on masculinity. I think what Richard Wright wants the readers to understand is that weapons can’t make you a man, your decisions do. Dave the main character of the story, proves many times that he is not yet a man through his actions. He has to beg his mother for money and runs away instead of fighting back when he is ridiculed. After killing the mule, Dave has the opportunity to become a man by owning up to what he did, but instead he lies about it. This shows us that he is truly not a man. In the end he jumps on a train and runs away from the problem because he doesn’t want to deal with it. I guess he figured he ruined his chance to become a man in his town so he was going to go somewhere else and try to prove his masculinity there.
ReplyDeleteThe story “ The Man Who Was Almost a Man” is about Dave a young man who is eager to be treated with respect and as a man. Even though, he is not worthy of that respect. The story teaches us a good lesson in father to son relationship and how that relationship shapes Dave decisions. In the beginning of story Dave’s desire is to obtain a gun in anyway possible, however, he is to scared to ask his father about the gun or even discuss the issue with his father. I thought that it was interesting that Dave’s father didn’t own a gun for protection even though Dave’s mother and Dave believe they should. After Dave, kills the mule and tries to hide the fact he shot the mule accidently. Dave’s father doesn’t defend Dave in public or negotiate his terms of payment instead he is embarrassed and humiliated because his father claim he will receive a beating for his actions. As a result, I believe that Dave is trying to become a man but he doesn’t have right guidance as to how to be a man.
ReplyDeleteDave believes if he has a gun, he will be respected and he will truly become a man. Owning a gun gives him sense of power and masculine feeling he couldn’t achieve without a gun. However, his actions prove that he isn’t ready or mature enough to be a man. In the beginning of the story he didn’t have enough courage to ask his father about the gun and he wasn’t man enough to confess to his crime of shooting a mule- he was forced to confess.
"The Man Who Was Almost a Man" I found to be a very eye opening story. Dave is this young boy that wants to make the transition to man hood. Throughout the story Dave seems to be put down and constantly told that he is just a boy. He is not a bad kid, but being put down all the time drove him to wanting a gun to prove himself. His mother told him that "Ah don care whut ah promised! Yuh ain nothing but a boy yit!" Dave gets his self-esteem of being a man some-day gets stepped on a lot more than it really should. So once he acquires the gun, which in his mind is the answer to his problems, he does nothing but mischievous behavior with it. This ends up leading to the death of the mule and further destruction of Dave's self-esteem. When Dave gets discovered on what really happened to the mule; his mother and father both do not give him any kind of support. They simply allow him to get humiliated in public. I know that all boys at some point in their life want to prove themselves a man so they can walk around with respect. Manhood during this time and even now is still largely determined by your age. What I definitely look at with this situation is the time in history at which all this happened. This was a time where society was very harsh and no much sympathy for anyone. I at least think that the kid needed more nurturing kind of parenting. Instead he received an embarrassing and horrible persecution in public, but again huge culture difference.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading “The Man Who Was Almost A Man”, I noticed a few interesting things. There were a few things that stuck out to me just while reading the first paragraph. I noticed the language that was used. The spelling was more phonetic to show how the people in this story talk. Along with that, there were not a lot of quotation marks used in the first paragraph which was kind of difficult to read because the story kept switching between narration and Dave talking. Dave was an interesting character. He wanted to purchase a gun because he thought that it would make him more of a man. This is similar to our discussion about “To Build A Fire”. There has been this mold that has been created by society that makes it seem like men have to do certain things to show that they are manly like we have seen in the past two stories. It is interesting that an inanimate object can define whether you are a man or not. In this story, Dave would have been more of a man if he would have just given the gun to his mother in the first place. Another part of the story where he could have been a man was when they were asking Dave what happened to Jenny and he would not tell them. Dave clearly wanted to show that he was a man of sorts but in reality, you can see that he is just a child.
ReplyDelete“The Man Who Was Almost a Man” by Richard Wright, was mainly focused on 17-year-old male named Dave. The protagonist struggled throughout the story to accomplish the feeling of being a man. Throughout this life all he did was work, and was continuously being put down and treated as a young boy. Growing up, for many the teenage years are very difficult, they experience new situations, come to the realization that they are aging, and want to be seen as adults. Dave believes that when you are respected, can stand up for yourself, carry a sense of power, be able to defend, and be shown respect that is when you become a man. Through Dave’s eyes, caring and gun would help him achieve masculinity and be respected as a man. After convincing his mother to give him money for the purchase of a gun, he disobeys orders given by his mother for the gun. Over the next day his immaturity and curiosity gets the best of him, and after disobeying others orders and leads to the accidental death of a mule and eventually him leaving home. I feel many young teenagers; especially men struggle trying to find themselves or how to become “A Man”, with the feelings of power, and a purpose to their life. Honestly, I was quite disturbed by Dave accidentally killing an innocent animal through his own immaturity. It could’ve been prevented by the mother either; denying his request for a gun, or taking charge and compensating it immediately. However I believe the mule served as a symbol; as one who was not respected and made to work continuously similar to Dave. After the death of the animal, the realization of wanting to be a man became even stronger, and then leading to the conclusion of leaving home.
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ReplyDelete"The Man Who Was Almost A Man" is a short story about a guy name Dave who is approaching adult age. He wants to be seen as a man and mentions that he is almost a man. But throughout the story he is called a boy by his mother, father, Joe, and Mr. Hawkins. He decides to buy this gun from Joe, after his mother gives him the money. He was suppose to bring the gun straight home but he doesn't. Instead he tries to test it out and ends up shooting his boss's mule. I think the gun made him feel tough and that he would be respected by the other men on the field. But I think buying the gun was hopeless in gaining respect and more likely to gain fear from others. Dave leaves with the gun the next day and stops by Mr. Hawkin's house. He mentioned that he wish he had another bullet to shoot at Mr. Hawkin's house to prove he was a man. Then he thinks about how long it would take to repay Mr. Hawkin. Dave reacts to the shooting by planning to escape to"somewhere he could be a man". This makes me think of another meaning to the story. Dave is trying to be seen as a man, but it seems like he just ends up running from his problems. He doesn't own up to his mistakes and I think it relates to the saying "be a man".
ReplyDeleteIn The Man who was almost a Man we are introduced to main character Dave who at age 17 believes that to be a man he needs to possess a gun. In this short story a gun is used to define being a man much like many other materialistic beings are used in society today to define other qualities. For example, having the latest pair of Jordan’s automatically makes you "cool" and part of the "in- crowd" because what loser would possess a pair of these? Similar to this we have clothing. Who are you if you don’t have the latest in Hollister or Abercrombie? Society today feels that they need to label themselves using things like name brands, embellishing themselves beyond recognition to themselves, instead of truly embracing the person they are on the inside. A gun doesn't define a man. In my opinion, a man is an individual that can respect, cherish and value others as well as himself and who through hard work, dedication, and will can motivate himself to achieve his goals in life and succeed. Dave struggles a bit after shooting the mule because he knows the gun's ability and never intended to kill anyone or anything, but he also sees how he is still treated like a little kid and how he is embarrassed in front of everyone which drives him to believe that the gun is still his solution to becoming a man and being treated like one even when it became the reason for his downfall. Similar to this we can apply the same theory to today’s society; when someone buys the latest Jordan’s what are they really buying? Shoes. But they come with a higher and further extended price than what you drop at the store for them. When you buy these shoes that will make you cool you are accepting that they will make you popular but you are also accepting that you may not be able to be completely yourself because now you have an image to uphold. So really, you get these shoes that make you popular but also lead to your downfall because you have to give up part of yourself to wear them.
ReplyDeleteFrom Steph:
ReplyDeleteThis story was very interesting. I found it a little difficult to follow along with the wording and spelling of their words. It was hard to make out what exactly they were saying. It was about a boy who really wanted a gun and had to beg permission from his mother to allow this purchase. The boy wanted to grow up and he thought that owning a gun would symbolize this. That if he had a gun it would give him more responsibility which would mean he was growing up and becoming more independent. I think this happens with a lot of people. When you are younger you want to grow up and do what big people do and have the same independence. Eventually you realize that it isn't what it was made out to be and you want to go back to having recess and when your biggest decision was what colour crayon you were going to use next. I was the same way growing up. Having an older sister I wanted to do everything she did and did not think it was fair when she got to do things that I was not old enough to do. Now that I have school and bills and work I want to go back to elementary school when I wasn't old enough to work and did not have to worry about paying bills. I want to go back to the times where you could really get away with anything and your consequences were not as serious as they are presently. The same thing happened to Dave Sanders. He wanted to have the big responsibility of a gun but when he had to deal with the consequences that occurred from an incident involving the gun he did not want to deal with it and wanted to run away from his problems.
This story was very interesting. I found it a little difficult to follow along with the wording and spelling of their words. It was hard to make out what exactly they were saying. It was about a boy who really wanted a gun and had to beg permission from his mother to allow this purchase. The boy wanted to grow up and he thought that owning a gun would symbolize this. That if he had a gun it would give him more responsibility which would mean he was growing up and becoming more independent. I think this happens with a lot of people. When you are younger you want to grow up and do what big people do and have the same independence. Eventually you realize that it isn't what it was made out to be and you want to go back to having recess and when your biggest decision was what colour crayon you were going to use next. I was the same way growing up. Having an older sister I wanted to do everything she did and did not think it was fair when she got to do things that I was not old enough to do. Now that I have school and bills and work I want to go back to elementary school when I wasn't old enough to work and did not have to worry about paying bills. I want to go back to the times where you could really get away with anything and your consequences were not as serious as they are presently. The same thing happened to Dave Sanders. He wanted to have the big responsibility of a gun but when he had to deal with the consequences that occurred from an incident involving the gun he did not want to deal with it and wanted to run away from his problems.
ReplyDeleteFrom Jae:
ReplyDeleteIn the short story, “The Man Who Was Almost A Man,” the main character Dave is struggling between himself, growing up and facing reality and the world around him. Dave is a teenage boy, young and anxious to be in ‘control’ of something, anything! He wants to prove to himself and to everyone above him that he can take on responsibility, that he is now a man. The best way for him to do that, as so he thinks, is to obtain a gun. Even though I am not a male teenager I can see how having a gun in one’s possession may make them feel more empowered, masculine, and in need of respect and attention- especially for someone so insecure such as Dave. However, it can end up being the complete opposite and in this case it was. In his mind, he’s worked hard for his money under the authority of the white man living in the big white house, so why couldn’t he spend his money the way he pleased? At this age, many teenagers feel capable enough to do as they wish and have what they desire but in reality many of us are not completely stable for the type of responsibility that owning a gun endures or entails. In Dave’s case this is exactly what happened, it lead to worse and worse events. Not only did he kill a mule accidentally out of impulse, because of his actions and disobedience his work was basically doubled and for a longer period of time. To be a man, to be considered ‘grown’ and define the true meaning of masculinity and to prove it- one has to demonstrate control, maturity and a responsible character. So in my opinion a teenager, young man, woman or any person at all for that manner should own a gun unless you are a cop or any type of police enforcement – then go right ahead and be my guest.