A Comparative Analysis of Dave in The Man Who Was Almost A Man and in Richard Wrights in The Man Who Was Almost A Man - Essay Example

Character Essay A comparative analysis of Dave, “the man who was almost a man,” in Richard Wright’s “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” (1960) and the anonymous narrator of Sherman Alexie’s “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” (1993) brings out the apparent similarities and the obvious dissimilarities between the two characters. On the one hand, they enjoy common features which prompt the readers regard them as the extension of one other, but a deeper analysis of the two tells that the two are distinctive and individualistic in their own way. Most significantly, both the characters are on the crossroads in their lives, standing between boyhood and manhood and while neither attains manhood, their respective characters undergo change and development. However, the development of the characters as well as the response of the two to the ways of life are determined and directed by their specific character traits, setting, and character development and limited by stereotypes. First of all, it is apparent that the protagonist in “The Man Who Was Almost a Man,” Dave, a young, African-American farm laborer, struggles all through the story “to assert his identity in the restrictive racist atmosphere of the rural South. Longing for a symbol of power and masculinity, Dave fantasizes that owning a gun will win him the respect he craves. After he gets a gun, he learns that he needs more than a gun to earn respect.” (Wright, 1940). The struggle for coming into maturity of the protagonist is evident in the way he treats the things around him and most significantly, the gun is the symbol of his long wish for the same. All through his activities, Dave tries hard for the realization of his dream. Though Dave is almost an accomplished man, the lack of social and economic power reminds him that he is relay not a man yet. “The story is structured around Dave’s quest for a gun as a symbol of power, maturity, and manhood as well as the ironic results of attaining this wish — his further loss of pride and autonomy.” (Wright, Themes). The story goes on to give the notion that the protagonist is actually powerless, weak, and marginalized. In the beginning stage of the story Dave reminds us of this fact when he says “Ah ain scareda them even ef they are biggern me!” disclosing his relative physical weakness. The first response of the mother to Dave’s plan to get a gun also reminds us that he is more a boy than a man. “You ain’t nothing but a boy. You don’t need a gun.” (Wright, 1908-1960). To cover up this weakness or to explore the cherished areas of human life Dave wants to get hold of a gun. However, he cannot manage the instrument to serve his purpose and when the accident happens he is at a sea without any trace of manliness. Therefore, the readers soon understand this dilemma in the character of Dave whereby he wishes to be greater than he really is or the confusion that exists in his personality between the wish for being man and the inability to be a real one. Whereas all these characteristic features are true of Dave’s character, there remains the fact that his life situations or environment, the family background, specific character and various such influential elements went into the making of this dilemma in Dave’s character. He is not living in a setting where he can realize the real personality and therefore he jumped aboard the train that takes him to some place that might make him realize his masculinity. The plot summary of the story confirms the same. “The story opens as Dave… fantasizes about buying a gun and knows that if he had a gun his fellow workers would no longer treat him like a boy… His parents question him about it… Dave’s mother first dismisses Dave’s request, calling him a fool… His boss, Mr. Hawkins, questions Dave… Hawkins questions Dave about what happened… Dave’s mother tells him to tell the truth… His father becomes angry and shakes him and Dave starts to cry… The crowd laughs at him. Hawkins tells him that he has just bought a dead mule and says that he can pay off the debt by working for him for twenty-five months. Dave’s father tells him to find the gun and sell it back to Joe in order to make his first payment to Hawkins and then promises to beat him when they get home…” (Wright, Plot summary). It is the frustration of being made useless and good-for-nothing that makes Dave try to overcome the reality of things and his repeated fire can very well be seen in this connection. The realization of the setting that has caused damage to his wishes, socio-economic marginalization and the lack of independence make Dave change his own setting with optimistic thoughts about the next day. It is, thus, that in order to realize his manhood and independence, the narrator finds that he must leave his setting. In Sherman Alexie’s “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” also we find almost the similar situation faced by the young narrator who represents, however, more of a society’s plight. Here the narrator is not able to realize his personality and there exists various types of challenges to his way ahead. The young man is “in the midst of an anguished separation from his White lover” and the various personal experiences convince him “that as a Native American he is immediately perceived as a threat--can be subjected by the police to arbitrary interrogations and general warnings.” (Alexie & Kich). All through the life the narrator is aware of the wearisome setting that dominates all the happenings in his life. It is a representation of the setting of every Native American who struggles to survive in a world that stays antagonistic to his very endurance. Here, unlike the case of Dave, we find a return of the narrator to the challenging setting. The silence of the narrator is self imposed where he rarely responds to his mother’s talk or joins in conversation and, to a large degree, has imposed a form of social isolation upon himself which echoes the characteristics of his social setting. Apart from being part of a minority race, we find the narrator set apart from the larger society on a reservation populated, by members of his race as well as his particular tribe. It implies that his setting is apart from the larger society and is isolated and marginalized. Hence, his self-imposed, relative isolation has been determined by the nature of his setting. Therefore, it is clear that both the characters are influenced and checked by their setting which brings about the similarities and dissimilarities in their characters. It may also be noted that the character development in both stories is constrained by stereotypes. The stereotype control in the behavior of Dave is evident when he compares owning a gun with attaining manhood and this reflects the dominant societal perception of African Americans. In the same way, stereotypes of Native Americans are found ini the story by Alexi, though here the narrator actively seeks an antithetical character development by fighting against the stereotype. He has a clear view of the stereotypes and it reflects in his words. “Crazy mirrors … the kind that distort your features, make you fatter, thinner, taller, shorter. The kind that make a white man remember hes the master of ceremonies … the kind that can never change the dark of your eyes and the folding shut of the good part of your past.” To conclude, we will be justified in comparing the two characters in their setting, stereotypes, and other influential elements, as they both provide us the evidence for their similar characteristic traits as well as distinguishing components of their characters. As stated in the introduction, there have been various similarities in their characters as well as there are specific individualistic features which make them dissimilar and the analysis makes this assumption proved correct. Works Cited Wright, Richard. The Man Who Was Almost a Man. Answers.com. 1940. 02 Feb. 2008. . Wright, Richard. The Man Who Was Almost a Man (Themes). Coming of Age. Answers.com. 02 Feb. 2008. . Wright, Richard. The Man Who Was Almost a Man. 1908-1960. 02 Feb. 2008. . Wright, Richard. The Man Who Was Almost a Man (Plot summary). Answers.com. 02 Feb. 2008. . Alexie, Sherman. Kich, Martin. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. 02 Feb. 2008. . Read More