Examples Of Alienation In Black Boy

Alienation of Richard Wright In Black Boy, Richard Wright portrays the accepted, cruel behavior towards blacks in the Jim Crow South. He was treated as an outcast by white people, some black people, and even most of his own family. They didn’t accept him because he wouldn’t conform to their idea of how he should act or what he should think. Richard was strong-willed and lived by his own beliefs. There were many ways he was set apart from everyone else throughout the entire story. He refused to read the speech that the principal gave him instead of his own, even if it meant not graduating. He stood up for what he believed in, unlike most of his peers, who at this time in history just did whatever they were told to do. He is
also treated differently by his peers because of how he did not act like a black person was expected to at that time. It was troubling for Richard to understand that he was supposed to just take any abuse that was inflicted upon him by a white person. Another example of how he stuck out, even in his family, is when he just refuses to take part in their religion. His grandmother constantly is trying to get him to join the church. He attempts to feel like his family does about it but he just can’t seem to, so he gives up on trying to understand. Richard Wright thought for himself. He chose not to conform but to take his own route and not care what other people told him. There are many individuals who do this today and they are rejected by people because they are different. People that rise up against what society tells them they can and can’t do and make their own way towards their goals are the ones who are remembered.