The Powerless Struggle In Richard Wright's Black Boy

The retelling of history is often an inexact science. Those with power hold the pens that document history. Those without, find the telling of their realities at the mercy of individuals who have the affluence and status to insulate themselves from the injustices and tragedies the powerless struggle against. But, sometimes in history, the powerless gain access to a pen. Richard Wright is an example of this phenomenon. Wright is the author of Black Boy, a blend between autobiographical and sociological work, that details the hostile ambience of the south amid Jim Crow Segregation and his struggle to overcome and understand the world he has been born into. Black Boy is a valuable novel because of Wright’s ability to elaborate on the effects of

Wright is selected as valedictorian for his class, and one of his responsibilities is to give a speech. His Principal, however, summons Wright into his office and passes him a premade speech. Wright refuses the Principal’s speech and is adamant in deciding to give his own speech. The Principal attempts to reason with Wright through scare tactics when he mentions the tact that must be displayed when giving a speech to a white audience. And on the other end of the spectrum, the Principal attempts to entice Wright by mentioning the superintendent’s presence and the possibility of employment as a teacher in the school system. Scare tactics and enticements were tools used to mold Wright’s mind, and he was aware of this: “He [Principal] was tempting me, baiting me; this was the technique that snared black young minds into supporting the southern way of life” (175). The “southern way of life” likely refers to Jim Crow and the acquiescence blacks were expected to give towards it. The same acquiescence the Principal, himself, gave: “I [Wright] had been talking to a ‘bought’ man and he had tried to ‘buy’ me” (176). The “southern way of life” vicariously manifests through the Principal by making it appear as if everyone was “bought.” The Principal tells Wright: “Wake up, boy. Learn the world you’re living in” (176). This claim insinuates that the only way to thrive as a

These young people listen to this ideology, and their complicity to it is demonstrated through their behavior. The behavior of certain characters in Black Boy shows the power of segregation when it polices the mind because the mind dictates behaviors. The character, Griggs, is a fabulous example of this. Griggs is one of Wright’s buddies from school who’s more adept at negotiating between his desires and the segregation around him than Wright. Special attention should be paid to the scene where Griggs offers Wright some advice on interacting with whites: “When you’re in front of white people, think before you act, think before you speak. Your way of doing things is all right among our people, but not for white people. They won’t stand for it” (184). Griggs is preoccupied with the cognitive aspect of interacting with whites. In order to survive such a hostile environment, one must behave in a way that doesn’t provoke hostile reactions. The only way to select the correct behavior, then, is to think about what the segregationist order deems appropriate. Control of mind is control of body. Griggs supports this conclusion later in the scene: “I laughed uneasily, looking at the white faces that passed me. But Griggs, when he laughed, covered his mouth with his hand and bent at the knees, a gesture… meant to conceal his excessive joy in the presence of whites” (185). Jim Crow