《即將成人》中的種族主義主題分析

2024年2月21日發(作者：慈母為兒春心動)

《即將成人》中的種族主義主題分析

［Abstract］Richard Wright’s “The Man Who Was Almost a Man”

is well known as an initiation story which explores a black young boy’s

struggle to the manhood. However, this piece underlies the theme of

racism for it is filled with metaphors for racism. The relationship between

the protagonist Dave and Fat Joe is something like that between a bull

and bullfighter; the relationship between Dave and Mr. Hawkins is like

that between a working animal and its master; the relationship between

Dave and other black people is like that between an scapegoat and other

ignorant goats. Thus, the story reveals the dilemma Dave trapped is the

inevitable racism.

［Key words］racism,dave,Fat Joe,Hawkins,the black

I. Introduction

“The Man Who Was Almost a Man” (1938) by Richard Wright

(1908-1960). The story centers on Dave Suanders, a young

African-American farm worker, who is struggling to declare his identity

in the atmosphere of the rural South. Although Wright never gets into

much detail about direct contradictions between the black and the white,

the racism is one of the core theme which is revealed by the relationships

between the black protagonist and the white. The relationship between