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Andrew Norton
Wilder
Book report on Black Boy
April 10, 2011
This Book is called Black Boy. It is an autobiography by Richard Wright that is 384 pages long. It was published in 1945 by Harper & Brothers. This book has restored text by the Library of America and republished in 1991. I chose this book because its title stood out to me. I wanted to see life from the perspective of a negro to broaden my horizons.
The main character is Richard Wright. He also wrote the book. His purpose was to tell about his life growing up in the segregated south and his life as he migrated north. Growing up in the south he burnt down his house at 4, became a drunkard at 6, and had to take care of his mother at a young age due to repeated strokes and illnesses. These experiences cause him to deny religion and God and be cast away by his family as a heathen when he was 17. When he left he ended up in Memphis for a while before he got enough money to move to Chicago. In Chicago he joined the communist party and became one of the most influential black men of his time as a writer.
Other characters in the book were Richard’s mother and Grandmother. Richard’s mother was his primary caregiver because his father left him at a young age. This soon changed as she grew ill and he had to work and move in with his grandmother to support her. His Grandmother was a religious fanatic. She pushed him into religion and he rejected it. This caused her much grief and she treated him badly for the rest of his childhood. She pushed him to move out on his own at the age of 17.
This book is an autobiography. The setting starts in Mississippi and ends in Chicago. The time period is the early 20th century. The historical context is around the Jim Crow laws, which make races segregated. Richard Wright’s goal is to tell his childhood story of how negros are treated badly and how he went past that to become a successful writer. He had to overcome racial prejudice and denying God. The turning point is when Richard Moves to Chicago and begins to find himself as a writer. In the end he becomes a communist writer.
In conclusion to this book I think it was a good story of a man who overcame great adversity. I liked it because it shows how events in early life affect a person’s views and perceptions on life. It opened my eyes to the struggles that brought upon the civil rights movement. One of its good points was that if you never give up on your dreams you can achieve anything. One of the points I disagree with is his view of God. He could not bring himself to believe in something he couldn’t see and arrogantly believed all those who did were fooling themselves. I learned that blacks were treated like scum in the early 1900s. They were expected to have a stupid smile on their face and never ask questions. I would recommend this to others to show a perspective of a black man in segregated times in America.

This article’s purpose is to give an overview of Richard Wright’s autobiography Black Boy. This article talks about the plot of the story, and introduces the main characters in Black Boy. The story began with Richards early childhood when he rebelled against his father by playing with fire which almost burnt his house down and taking literally his father when he told him to kill a cat by strangling said cat to death. Throughout his young life he is also confronted with religion. He rejects Christianity to be false but is forced to follow by his overly religious grandmother. The characters noted in the article are Mrs. Bibbs, Mr. Crane, Ella, Mr. Faulk Griggs, Harrison, Mrs. Moss, Mr. Olin, Shorty, Addie and Clarke Wilson, Grandma and Grandpa, Ellen Wright, Leon Wright, Nathan Wright and Richard Wright. Mrs. Bibbs is a lady Richard worked for occasionally who thought all blacks were good for was menial labor. Mr. Crain is a man who treats blacks well but is too scared to stand up in the community for it. Ella is a boarder at Grandma's house who was later given the boot for exposing Richard to vulgar language. Mr. Faulk allowed Richard to use his Whites only library card. Griggs is a friend of Richards who tried to show him it’s easier to cave into what whites expect of you. Leon Wright is Richard’s brother and Nathan Wright is his Father. Richard Wright is the main character who the book is about.
Wright, Richard Nathaniel. "Explanation of: 'Black Boy' by Richard Wright." LitFinder Contemporary Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.
This article talks about Black Boy and its famous author Richard Wright. “In his autobiography Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth (1945), American author Richard Wright (1908-1960) portrays in detail the physical and emotional hardships he and other African Americans faced growing up in the American South during the 1920s and 1930s”. This quote explains that Black Boy is an autobiography of Richard Wright that depicts his struggles not only individually, but with the whole black community. Black Boy is only about Richard Wright’s early life in Mississippi. His autobiography of his later life titled American Hunger was not published until 1977. Black Boy talks about how Richard had a violent upbringing. He felt debased and inferior just for being of the black race in the south. Richard Wright stayed in Mississippi until he was nineteen. He left because he was determined to live his life with dignity. According to the article Black Boy is a “black man’s search for self-actualization in a racist society that made possible the works of such successive writers as James Baldwin and Ralph Ellison.” This shows that Black Boy was a significant story in a cultural perspective as well. The article says that it was also significant in a sense that it was an instant best seller.

Telgen, Diane. "Overview: //Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth//." Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.
This article’s purpose is to give an overview of Richard Wright’s autobiography Black Boy. This article talks about the plot of the story, and introduces the main characters in Black Boy. The story began with Richards early childhood when he rebelled against his father by playing with fire which almost burnt his house down and taking literally his father when he told him to kill a cat by strangling said cat to death. Throughout his young life he is also confronted with religion. He rejects Christianity to be false but is forced to follow by his overly religious grandmother. The characters noted in the article are Mrs. Bibbs, Mr. Crane, Ella, Mr. Faulk Griggs, Harrison, Mrs. Moss, Mr. Olin, Shorty, Addie and Clarke Wilson, Grandma and Grandpa, Ellen Wright, Leon Wright, Nathan Wright and Richard Wright. Mrs. Bibbs is a lady Richard worked for occasionally who thought all blacks were good for was menial labor. Mr. Crain is a man who treats blacks well but is too scared to stand up in the community for it. Ella is a boarder at Grandma's house who was later given the boot for exposing Richard to vulgar language. Mr. Faulk allowed Richard to use his Whites only library card. Griggs is a friend of Richards who tried to show him it’s easier to cave into what whites expect of you. Leon Wright is Richard’s brother and Nathan Wright is his Father. Richard Wright is the main character who the book is about.
Wright, Richard Nathaniel. "Explanation of: 'Black Boy' by Richard Wright." LitFinder Contemporary Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.

"Richard (Nathaniel) Wright." Contemporary Literary Criticism Select. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.
This article serves to introduce Richard Wright, Give some biographical information on him, List his major literary results, tell how they were socially received, and introduce his autobiography Black Boy. The article introduces Richard Wright as a seminal figure in black history, who was one of the most powerful and influential writers in America, during his time. The article says that Wright's childhood was harsh and filled with fear in his hometown of Natchez, Mississippi. He had a father who left him at six, and forced to live with his grandmother after his mother became ill. Through all of his uneasy childhood he was forced to self educate himself because his formal schooling was frequently interrupted as he moved from town to town. The list of his works includes: Uncle Tom's Children: Four Novellas, Native Son, 12 Million Black Voices: A Folk History of the Negro in the United States, Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth, The Outsider, Black Power: A Record of Reactions in a Land of Pathos, Savage Holiday , The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference, Pagan Spain, White Man, Listen!, The Long Dream, Eight Men, Lawd Today ,Daddy Goodness, American Hunger, Rite of Passage. His autobiography is titled Black Boy, and it is the first half of his autobiography that includes the story of his childhood.
Telgen, Diane. "Overview: //Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth//." Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.
This article’s purpose is to give an overview of Richard Wright’s autobiography Black Boy. This article talks about the plot of the story, and introduces the main characters in Black Boy. The story began with Richards early childhood when he rebelled against his father by playing with fire which almost burnt his house down and taking literally his father when he told him to kill a cat by strangling said cat to death. Throughout his young life he is also confronted with religion. He rejects Christianity to be false but is forced to follow by his overly religious grandmother. The characters noted in the article are Mrs. Bibbs, Mr. Crane, Ella, Mr. Faulk Griggs, Harrison, Mrs. Moss, Mr. Olin, Shorty, Addie and Clarke Wilson, Grandma and Grandpa, Ellen Wright, Leon Wright, Nathan Wright and Richard Wright. Mrs. Bibbs is a lady Richard worked for occasionally who thought all blacks were good for was menial labor. Mr. Crain is a man who treats blacks well but is too scared to stand up in the community for it. Ella is a boarder at Grandma's house who was later given the boot for exposing Richard to vulgar language. Mr. Faulk allowed Richard to use his Whites only library card. Griggs is a friend of Richards who tried to show him it’s easier to cave into what whites expect of you. Leon Wright is Richard’s brother and Nathan Wright is his Father. Richard Wright is the main character who the book is about.

"Richard (Nathaniel) Wright." Contemporary Literary Criticism Select. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.
This article serves to introduce Richard Wright, Give some biographical information on him, List his major literary results, tell how they were socially received, and introduce his autobiography Black Boy. The article introduces Richard Wright as a seminal figure in black history, who was one of the most powerful and influential writers in America, during his time. The article says that Wright's childhood was harsh and filled with fear in his hometown of Natchez, Mississippi. He had a father who left him at six, and forced to live with his grandmother after his mother became ill. Through all of his uneasy childhood he was forced to self educate himself because his formal schooling was frequently interrupted as he moved from town to town. The list of his works includes: Uncle Tom's Children: Four Novellas, Native Son, 12 Million Black Voices: A Folk History of the Negro in the United States, Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth, The Outsider, Black Power: A Record of Reactions in a Land of Pathos, Savage Holiday , The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference, Pagan Spain, White Man, Listen!, The Long Dream, Eight Men, Lawd Today ,Daddy Goodness, American Hunger, Rite of Passage. His autobiography is titled Black Boy, and it is the first half of his autobiography that includes the story of his childhood.
This article’s purpose is to give an overview of Richard Wright’s autobiography Black Boy. This article talks about the plot of the story, and introduces the main characters in Black Boy. The story began with Richards early childhood when he rebelled against his father by playing with fire which almost burnt his house down and taking literally his father when he told him to kill a cat by strangling said cat to death. Throughout his young life he is also confronted with religion. He rejects Christianity to be false but is forced to follow by his overly religious grandmother. The characters noted in the article are Mrs. Bibbs, Mr. Crane, Ella, Mr. Faulk Griggs, Harrison, Mrs. Moss, Mr. Olin, Shorty, Addie and Clarke Wilson, Grandma and Grandpa, Ellen Wright, Leon Wright, Nathan Wright and Richard Wright. Mrs. Bibbs is a lady Richard worked for occasionally who thought all blacks were good for was menial labor. Mr. Crain is a man who treats blacks well but is too scared to stand up in the community for it. Ella is a boarder at Grandma's house who was later given the boot for exposing Richard to vulgar language. Mr. Faulk allowed Richard to use his Whites only library card. Griggs is a friend of Richards who tried to show him it’s easier to cave into what whites expect of you. Leon Wright is Richard’s brother and Nathan Wright is his Father. Richard Wright is the main character who the book is about.

Reilly, John M. "Richard Wright: Overview." Reference Guide to American Literature. Ed. Jim Kamp. 3rd ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
This article is an overview of Richard Wright and his reputation and literary career. The article says, “Richard Wright's career can be described in terms of three reputations he has earned: the realist protesting racial oppression, the typifier of the experience of entry into modern history, and the author who makes his themes seem inevitable by his artistry”. These were the three themes Richard Wright was known for in his writing. His famous writings include Uncle Tom’s Children, Native son, Black, Boy, American Hunger, and Twelve Million Black Voices. Uncle Tom’s Children was considered Richard Wright’s leap to literary prominence. It is a collection of stories that depict, as the article puts it, “struggles of southern black peasants in resistance to a caste system dependent upon lynch violence for its sanction and efficacy.” Native Son was Richard Wright’s first published novel that told the story of the racial conflicts of a Chicago native, Bigger Thomas. Black Boy and American Hunger were both halves of Richard’s autobiography. Black Boy was about his childhood growing up in the rural south and American Hunger was the second half about his life after he moved to Chicago. Twelve Million Black Voices, is a documentary history of black peasants put into urban life. It is written in the, “Poetic prose of a collective first-person narration”, as the article states.
"Richard (Nathaniel) Wright." Contemporary Literary Criticism Select. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.
This article serves to introduce Richard Wright, Give some biographical information on him, List his major literary results, tell how they were socially received, and introduce his autobiography Black Boy. The article introduces Richard Wright as a seminal figure in black history, who was one of the most powerful and influential writers in America, during his time. The article says that Wright's childhood was harsh and filled with fear in his hometown of Natchez, Mississippi. He had a father who left him at six, and forced to live with his grandmother after his mother became ill. Through all of his uneasy childhood he was forced to self educate himself because his formal schooling was frequently interrupted as he moved from town to town. The list of his works includes: Uncle Tom's Children: Four Novellas, Native Son, 12 Million Black Voices: A Folk History of the Negro in the United States, Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth, The Outsider, Black Power: A Record of Reactions in a Land of Pathos, Savage Holiday , The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference, Pagan Spain, White Man, Listen!, The Long Dream, Eight Men, Lawd Today ,Daddy Goodness, American Hunger, Rite of Passage. His autobiography is titled Black Boy, and it is the first half of his autobiography that includes the story of his childhood.

Reilly, John M. "Richard Wright: Overview." Reference Guide to American Literature. Ed. Jim Kamp. 3rd ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
This article is an overview of Richard Wright and his reputation and literary career. The article says, “Richard Wright's career can be described in terms of three reputations he has earned: the realist protesting racial oppression, the typifier of the experience of entry into modern history, and the author who makes his themes seem inevitable by his artistry”. These were the three themes Richard Wright was known for in his writing. His famous writings include Uncle Tom’s Children, Native son, Black, Boy, American Hunger, and Twelve Million Black Voices. Uncle Tom’s Children was considered Richard Wright’s leap to literary prominence. It is a collection of stories that depict, as the article puts it, “struggles of southern black peasants in resistance to a caste system dependent upon lynch violence for its sanction and efficacy.” Native Son was Richard Wright’s first published novel that told the story of the racial conflicts of a Chicago native, Bigger Thomas. Black Boy and American Hunger were both halves of Richard’s autobiography. Black Boy was about his childhood growing up in the rural south and American Hunger was the second half about his life after he moved to Chicago. Twelve Million Black Voices, is a documentary history of black peasants put into urban life. It is written in the, “Poetic prose of a collective first-person narration”, as the article states.
This article serves to introduce Richard Wright, Give some biographical information on him, List his major literary results, tell how they were socially received, and introduce his autobiography Black Boy. The article introduces Richard Wright as a seminal figure in black history, who was one of the most powerful and influential writers in America, during his time. The article says that Wright's childhood was harsh and filled with fear in his hometown of Natchez, Mississippi. He had a father who left him at six, and forced to live with his grandmother after his mother became ill. Through all of his uneasy childhood he was forced to self educate himself because his formal schooling was frequently interrupted as he moved from town to town. The list of his works includes: Uncle Tom's Children: Four Novellas, Native Son, 12 Million Black Voices: A Folk History of the Negro in the United States, Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth, The Outsider, Black Power: A Record of Reactions in a Land of Pathos, Savage Holiday , The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference, Pagan Spain, White Man, Listen!, The Long Dream, Eight Men, Lawd Today ,Daddy Goodness, American Hunger, Rite of Passage. His autobiography is titled Black Boy, and it is the first half of his autobiography that includes the story of his childhood.

Mechling, Jay. "The Failure of Folklore in Richard Wright's //Black Boy//." Journal of American Folklore 104.413 (Summer 1991): 275-292. Rpt. in Nonfiction Classics for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Nonfiction Works. Ed. David M. Galens, Jennifer Smith, and Elizabeth Thomason. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
This article takes the time to explain how Richard Wright’s autobiography Black Boy describes a failure in folklore. It states, “We are so accustomed to talking and writing about folklore as a human strength, as a personal and community resource for enduring, connecting, and celebrating, that we sometimes overlook those instances when folklore fails.” This quote means that in Black Boy, Richard Wright’s autobiography, Richard Wright describes his observations of folklore. Folklore is the traditional beliefs, legends, and customs of a group of people. In Black Boy Richard Wright talks about his hard childhood growing up in the rural, segregated south. The article is trying to say that folklore in Black Boy fails because in Richard Wright’s childhood, he saw many horrors. Those horrors were caused by beliefs that blacks were inferior to whites. That was part of the folklore he grew up in, and its failure is all the great suffering it brought on to so many people, including him. The purpose of this article is to tell that not all literature is written to glorify human existence. Some were made to show the problems or failure of folklore among humans. The autobiography Black Boy is one that does just that.
Reilly, John M. "Richard Wright: Overview." Reference Guide to American Literature. Ed. Jim Kamp. 3rd ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
This article is an overview of Richard Wright and his reputation and literary career. The article says, “Richard Wright's career can be described in terms of three reputations he has earned: the realist protesting racial oppression, the typifier of the experience of entry into modern history, and the author who makes his themes seem inevitable by his artistry”. These were the three themes Richard Wright was known for in his writing. His famous writings include Uncle Tom’s Children, Native son, Black, Boy, American Hunger, and Twelve Million Black Voices. Uncle Tom’s Children was considered Richard Wright’s leap to literary prominence. It is a collection of stories that depict, as the article puts it, “struggles of southern black peasants in resistance to a caste system dependent upon lynch violence for its sanction and efficacy.” Native Son was Richard Wright’s first published novel that told the story of the racial conflicts of a Chicago native, Bigger Thomas. Black Boy and American Hunger were both halves of Richard’s autobiography. Black Boy was about his childhood growing up in the rural south and American Hunger was the second half about his life after he moved to Chicago. Twelve Million Black Voices, is a documentary history of black peasants put into urban life. It is written in the, “Poetic prose of a collective first-person narration”, as the article states.

Mechling, Jay. "The Failure of Folklore in Richard Wright's //Black Boy//." Journal of American Folklore 104.413 (Summer 1991): 275-292. Rpt. in Nonfiction Classics for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Nonfiction Works. Ed. David M. Galens, Jennifer Smith, and Elizabeth Thomason. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
This article takes the time to explain how Richard Wright’s autobiography Black Boy describes a failure in folklore. It states, “We are so accustomed to talking and writing about folklore as a human strength, as a personal and community resource for enduring, connecting, and celebrating, that we sometimes overlook those instances when folklore fails.” This quote means that in Black Boy, Richard Wright’s autobiography, Richard Wright describes his observations of folklore. Folklore is the traditional beliefs, legends, and customs of a group of people. In Black Boy Richard Wright talks about his hard childhood growing up in the rural, segregated south. The article is trying to say that folklore in Black Boy fails because in Richard Wright’s childhood, he saw many horrors. Those horrors were caused by beliefs that blacks were inferior to whites. That was part of the folklore he grew up in, and its failure is all the great suffering it brought on to so many people, including him. The purpose of this article is to tell that not all literature is written to glorify human existence. Some were made to show the problems or failure of folklore among humans. The autobiography Black Boy is one that does just that.
This article is an overview of Richard Wright and his reputation and literary career. The article says, “Richard Wright's career can be described in terms of three reputations he has earned: the realist protesting racial oppression, the typifier of the experience of entry into modern history, and the author who makes his themes seem inevitable by his artistry”. These were the three themes Richard Wright was known for in his writing. His famous writings include Uncle Tom’s Children, Native son, Black, Boy, American Hunger, and Twelve Million Black Voices. Uncle Tom’s Children was considered Richard Wright’s leap to literary prominence. It is a collection of stories that depict, as the article puts it, “struggles of southern black peasants in resistance to a caste system dependent upon lynch violence for its sanction and efficacy.” Native Son was Richard Wright’s first published novel that told the story of the racial conflicts of a Chicago native, Bigger Thomas. Black Boy and American Hunger were both halves of Richard’s autobiography. Black Boy was about his childhood growing up in the rural south and American Hunger was the second half about his life after he moved to Chicago. Twelve Million Black Voices, is a documentary history of black peasants put into urban life. It is written in the, “Poetic prose of a collective first-person narration”, as the article states.