Why does Dave think that owning a gun will make him a man? In a paragraph or two, explore how the story treats issues of power, violence, and respect. What specific examples from the story can you use to support whatever it is you're saying?
For extra credit: Wright acknowledges that he was influenced by Hemingway. What similarities can you find between the styles of the two writers? What are the important differences? Use specific examples from the stories, if you can. I will give extra points to whoever submits THE BEST answer(s). You may refer to works by Wright and/or Hemingway that we have not read for the course, if you would like.
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I believe Dave thinks owning a gun will make him a man because that is what he thought in his eyes made someone a man. His father did not own one, and he figured that he could use one to show everyone that he is a man. He felt that he was powerful with a gun because he can control people's lives in a way. If he did not like someone, he could shoot them if we was able to have a gun. He says, "One of these days he was going to get a gun and practice shooting, then they couldn't talk to him as though he were a little boy". This shows that he feels he would have the power to do what he pleased if he had a gun. I do not know if the story is racist or not because I cannot really tell. I do know that white and black people were laughing at him when he shot the mule, but that is the only thing that could be somewhat racist. The fact that African Americans joined in makes me feel that it was not a racist factor, but more than a pride issue because he was embarressed and did not feel like a man.
ReplyDeleteDave thinks that by owning a gun he will gain the respect and power he has longed for. Dave is sick of being looked at as a child and not a man although he is only seventeen. Dave works hard in the field for Mr. Hawkins and I think the authority Mr. Hawkins has over Dave makes him feel even less of a man. To Dave, owning a gun will make him more of a man because of the fact that people would fear him. Power and respect would be gained because of fear. Owning a gun would make others see that Dave is a man, at least this is what he believed. He says, " Lawd, ef Ah had just one mo bullet Ah'd taka shot at tha hosue. Ah'd like t scare ol man Hawkins jusa little...Jusa enough t let im know Dave Saunders is a man." Dave is longing for more respect and power that he goes about it in the wrong way. Gaining power and respect by scaring others is not a successful way.
ReplyDeleteI was confused as to why black and white crowds were emphasized so much in the story.
Although Dave is treated as a child when his mother forbids him to buy a gun, Dave proves that he is not mature enough to own a gun when he lies to his mother about his intentions. Dave completely goes behind his mother's back and buys a gun for himself. His mother knew something bad would happen if he were to own a gun which is why she did not let him have one. Dave goes to work with his gun and ends up shooting Jenny, a mule. Dave then buries the gun so his boss will not know that he is guilty for killing the mule. Although Dave is forced by his parents to come clean and tell the truth this is what ultimately proves that Dave is a man. Dave knows that there will be severe consequences for what he has done, but he still knows that telling his boss what really happened is the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, power is seen in the short story when Dave's parents tell him not to buy a gun. Dave is still seventeen years old and has to abide by his parent's rules. Power is also seen when his boss punishes him for killing a mule, stating that he must work for 25 months to pay off the debt of the mule. Likewise, violence is portrayed when Dave shoots the mule and kills it. Last, respect is demonstrated when Dave decides that he should tell his boss the truth about what really happened. Also, Dave further respects his boss by accepting his punishment.
It's amazing how this story stereotypes a man different than a boy by owning a gun. It is not even about shooting the gun, it's about owning one... just incase. Power in this story was represented by the gun. If a boy had a gun, he was a man. I think this was pathetic. A man should be measured by his character, not by if he can shoot a gun or even own one.
ReplyDeleteThe violence in this story was portrayed by the dead mule. Dave's need for the gun and stupidity to fire it when he did not know what he was
doing, sent a dead mule to his grave. It was as if the town's people had no sympathy for the grave. They simply laughed it off, and laughed at Dave.
When it comes to respect in this short story, it seems like the gun really didn't give off any respect for Dave. When the towns people came together and realized he had shot a mule, they weren't amazed of how he owned a gun. They didn't respect him either, just laughed at him like he was a joke. It is kind of like this story contradicted what it preached in the first part. The gun did not make him a man, it made him a laughing joke.
-Laura C
The story basically claims that the one material item, a gun, makes a boy become a man. Dave did not become a man by shooting the gun or killing something with it, he was a man simply by having it just incase something were to happen. This thought is juvenile and rather pathetic. A simple gun does not make a boy become a man. The only way people respect the person with a gun is by how the person uses it, not by just owning it. This is why everyone laughs at Dave when he shoots the mule. The people do not respect Dave for having a gun and killing the mule. They laugh and think of it as nothing more than some stupid kid accidentally killing a mule. Dave then thinks he is a man when he empties the clip and violently thinks about shooting at the house, just so he could show everyone who the boss is. The thoughts are very primal and once again juvenile. Being violent does not exactly lead to power in the real world.
ReplyDeleteI think that David wants a gun because in that time having a gun would be the iconic manly thing to have. Like today the guy who has teh biggest and most expensive car is manly. And he fells that because he is close to the age of 18 he thinks that he is a man. I mean you dont drasticaly change over night when you have your birthday but when that date comes that society had classified as a big truing point in a mans life you start to think and dwell on it. Until you see that nothing as really changed. David thinks he can handle the gun but he obviously can not use it, it knocks him over when he fist trys to shoot it. Showing that he may not be as manly as he thought. The story shows not so much respect as disrespect. He disrespects his mother by lying to her that he will return home and give the gun that is for his father to her. But instead he keeps it to himself. I think that biggest disrespect that is in the book is when he disrespects the gun. When I went to the shooting range with my bother in law he told me the first thing you need to do is respect that gun. The second you think that you are better then the gun that is when things go wrong. In Davids case he closes his eyes when he shoots and what happens he kills the donky.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of the story, we are told that Dave thinks that if he owned a gun, it would make him a man. I think Dave wants the gun to prove to everyone else that he is more powerful because he owns this gun. In his household, the mother seems to be the one that is in control. Dave may feel that because his father does not own a gun, it makes him less of a man and that is why the wife runs the house. When Dave goes to the store, Joe even says to him on page 1367, "You ain't nothing but a boy. You don't need a gun." Dave is constantly trying to prove to everyone that he is this man that he wants everyone to think he is. I agree with Tori about how respect is being controlled by fear.
ReplyDeleteDave thinks that owning a gun will make him a man because he starts thinking about how he can kill someone. For example, on the bottom of page 1370, he starts to feel it and thinks of how no one can "run over him" and how they would have to give him respect. Also when he starts talking to the mule is a sure sign of how Wright wanted to incorporate a power aspect to the story. Overall, I think from the point where he begged his mother for the money to when he actually had the gun and felt a sudden jolt of power is what the author wanted to illustrate as far as power goes. Although he felt like "the man" when everything was okay, the thought of getting a beating by his father made him realize how badly he messed up for a brief moment. It's still sad to see how at the end he ran away because that should have taught him a lesson instead of believing that a gun makes a man.
ReplyDeleteIn the story, “The Man Who Was Almost a Man,” the main character of the story is a young man who is set on buying a gun. He has worked hard for his money and would finally like to be able to buy something for himself. The young boy, Dave, is offered a great deal on a gun and convinces his mother to let him buy it as long as he gives it to his father right away. Dave thinks that buying this gun will in some way make him a man; I believe that this is for two reasons. The first reason it will make him more of a man is because he is finally able to buy something for himself, he is able to use his own money. I know that when I first got a job, I couldn’t wait for my first paycheck so I could finally buy something for myself. It gives you a sense of pride. The second reason I think that Dave would feel like more of a man if he bought the gun is because it’s a gun. A lot of men during those times carried guns and it was a very common thing to see. Owning a gun gives Dave a sense of power and that makes him feel like more of a man.
ReplyDeleteIn the story the author shows different types of power, violence, and respect. When Dave decides he wants the gun he wants it because it gives him more power, but his mother has power over him and what he does so she limits what he can but and can’t buy. The violence in the story is when Dave accidentally shoots the mule. I think that the respect in this story is shown when Dave kills the mule and his parents force him to tell the truth and pay for the mule, but then he runs away so his boss will not be getting the money.
EXTRA CREDIT!!!
After reading stories by both Richard Wright and Ernest Hemmingway, I don’t think that there are a lot of similarities in their writing. For example, when I read “The Old Man and the Sea,” the book did not grab at my attention and kind of put me to sleep. But when I read “The Man Who Was Almost a Man,” by Wright I was not bored and the story was short and sweet. Hemmingway’s pieces of work are not very easy to understand, so you really have to think as you are reading. Wright’s story was very simple and easy to understand even though the way the characters spoke was hard to interpret at times. Overall, I don’t think that Ernest Hemingway and Richard Wright have similarities in the way they write.
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ReplyDeleteDave thinks that owning a gun will make him a man. He thinks this because a gun is something that can kill another living being with ease. A gun will cause others to look at him differently because they will be afraid of him. He believes a man has power when other people fear him. Dave believes that his household is run by his mother because his father does not own a gun. The mother is the one with the power and the father is a weak figure. The reality is that owning a gun does not make a boy a man, it makes him a coward. He is someone who has blurred view on reality. Yes, it is true that people would fear a gun if it was pointed at them, but the power does not lie in the one holding the gun, it lies in the gun itself.
ReplyDeleteIn this story, a gun is a very manly thing to have possession of. For Dave, his father didn’t own a gun, but it was something he longed to possess. A gun can give you a sense of power and the feeling of being in control. However, with a gun comes responsibility. You can’t go around shooting people or things for no reason! You only use it when absolutely necessary. For example, when Dave shot the mule, he looked like a fool. It was something that should not have happened. By him shooting the mule, he looks immature and incapable of being responsible. Having a gun, is all about being cautious, responsible and alert. It’s something you can’t take advantage of, or abuse. That’s something Dave will come to learn as time goes by.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea there was a gun involved in this story, haha just kidding. In the story, Dave viewed owning a gun as the ultimate step towards manhood. He treated the weapon not in an adult fashion and it got him into alot of trouble. I felt bad for him that he made so little money and he saw himself as a kid with so much to prove, but that does not mean its okay to do what he did. There was some irony in this story. He was so obsessed with the idea of manhood, he forgot to act like a man. He killed Jenny because he had no respect for the weapon. A man is the one who understands and respects the power of such a dangerous item. Also, he lied about what happened with the mule and tried to cover his tracks. A child would do something like this, not a man. A man takes responsibility for his actions and faces problems head on. The more the story progressed, the more he seemed not able to handle the role of a man. He lied and took off like a little kid. I would strongly recommend that no hitchhiker get onto the same traincar as Dave.
ReplyDelete-Scott Van Winter
In the story, David seems to think that being a man means to be in control and respected( not just owning a gun) (page 1370). By this I mean that the gun itself is not what David thinks makes him a man, although it does state in the story that he feels his father should have a gun. The gun is a symbol, like Dr. Pruss said in class; it is a symbol of masculinity. By possessing a gun, David feels as though that within itself will make people respect him more and treat him more like the man he thinks he really is. To me it doesn't feel as though David wanted to kill somebody with the gun in order to feel like a man; he didn't even mean to kill the mule. The story addresses power both in the family ( the mother having more power in the purchase of the gun) and in the personal ( David embracing the feel of power that he held in his hands when clutching the gun).
ReplyDeleteExtra Credit:
In this comparison I looked mainly at the two stories that were a part of the course material: Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants" and Wright's "The Man Who Was Almost A Man".
The main difference between these two short stories is the writing style. In "Hills Like White Elephants," Hemingway includes mostly dialogue, leaving out information that would be useful to the reader in the beggining. His works encourages readers to think, not just stare blankly at the words presented on the page. In "The Man Who Was Almost A Man," Wright did not leave much up to the readers imagination, all of the information needed was presented.
A similarity between the two styles of writing I couldn't really find between the two writers. However, I did see that both stories do present a struggle of power. For example, in "Hills Like White Elephants" the woman in the relationship is struggling against her significant other who clearly has all of the power in the relationship. Also, in "The Man Who Was Almost A Man" the struggle of power could be seen as between the mother and father ( their power/authority in the running of the family) or David's struggle of power with his mother in order to obtain and keep the gun.
Other than that I couldn't see any similarities between the two styles of writing.
Sorry Mr. Bolster,
ReplyDeleteI think Dave thinks owning a gun makes him a man because it can protect his family. I dont think he thinks his father is much of a man because he doesnt own a gun, and he seems not to have much respect for him. Also, he likes the control factor of it. He thinks that people see him as a little boy, and that owning a gun makes him a man. Thats why when he shot the mule, and people were laughing at him, he thought they were laugh at him cause he wasnt a man, not because he shot a mule, which is why they were laughing. This story is just wierd.
In the timeframe Dave grew up he is taught that to be a man, you must be repspected and have power. Even in modern times when asked what a man is many people come up with the same words such as power, respect, strength, control and portection. Owning a gun exemplifies all of these things. He feels he is a boy because he is not seeing his money he makes and feels he needs to prove himself to the world. With a gun in his hands it says he can control anyone, he can have power.
ReplyDeleteIn the story, he states that witht he gun he could kill anyone. Kind of like the song we listened to in class, he could kill someone, just like with power you could start a holocaust. The story shows that although dave feels he needs power to be a man, when given too much power it makes you less a man as he runs away.
I think Dave is so keen on idea of owning a gun because in his mind and sometime in society it makes someone more manly. Dave might think that he will be perceived as more manly by other people if he is carrying a gun. It will emasculate him, making himself feel more comfortable with himself. With the gun comes power and respect which is something Dave strives for. However, when he shoots the mule and everyone looks at him and laughs the gone has actually made him feel worse about himself. the gun in Dave's opinion will bring him from a boy to a man. In the end though he proves he is not manly enough or responsible enough to have a gun.
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