Point Of View In Richard Wright's The Library Card

Richard Wright tells his story of The Library Card through a first person point of view, while adding in description, that ultimately helps prove his point to the reader. The first person point of view that this piece is written in allows for the reader to connect with Wright on a personal level. There is no confusion between the reader and the information given, because they knew that the information is coming straight from the source. That being said, the information can be changed due to the fact that it could be biased, but that comes with the territory of having a first person point of view. That being said, however, there is this trust Wright establishes when he mentions the “Negro porter” in the first sentence. Acknowledging the fact that he is aware of the circumstances a this time and how black were treated, the audience forms this bond with him trusting that from that point on, the information given is real.

This tremendously helps forms the bond between Wright and the audience because they now know exactly what he is thinking, so he cannot hide anything from them. They know that he was “frightened” by Mencken’s style, but yet “amazed” at the same time. Or how because of what he was reading, he “created a vast sense of distance between [him] and the world in which [he] lived.” The ability to progressively see Wright’s train of thought go from excitement to torture turns the reader to his main point of the passage, to believe that ignorance is bliss. Wright begs the question to his readers, do you really want to know something, even if it will ruined your thinking about that subject. The journey Wright takes them on through his first person point of view steers them down the path of believing some things are worth not knowing, and feeling sympathy for him because of his