The Man Who Was Almost a Man

In Wright’s “The Man Who Was Almost a Man,” the main character is a seventeen year old boy named Dave who considers himself almost a man. The story begins with him walking home from another days work in Mr. Hawkins field. In route to his house, he begins fantasizing over getting a gun and practicing shooting with the hopes that the other men won’t talk to him as if he were a little boy anymore. Although, when his wish finally came true, a disastrous event took place when he accidentally shot the mule, Jenny. Despite the damage that took place the first time he shot the gun, Dave remained intrigued with it. He snuck out in the middle of the night and gave the gun another shot. He loved the power that came over him when he pulled the trigger. He then proceeded to jump on a train with nothing but his gun.

The gun is very significant in this story. The whole story revolves around Dave and his long for a gun. Dave doesn’t want to be considered a child anymore. As readers, we learn that Dave associates manhood with owning a gun. For example, when he was talking to his mother, Dave said “Ahm almos a man now. Ah wans a gun” (Pg. 1612). This statement makes it very obvious that he feels as though the ownership of a gun will make others view him as a man, instead of a little boy. In order to gain respect from the others around him, he needed something in his power that he could have control over. Therefore, the solution was easy; Dave had to buy a gun.