Black Boy

Bruce Bryant

9/9/04

15/16

English II

“He came like a sledge sledgehammer, like a giant out of a mountain with a sledgehammer, writing with a sledgehammer…”

- John Henry Clark

This quote has a very important meaning because it defines the meaning of Richard Wright’s story BlackBoy. This quote and the story both have something in common, such as the first line of the quote that talks about how some person came like a sledgehammer. This line corresponds to how Richard was growing up .He was brought up with problems in the family, witnessed racial discrimination, did not have a permanent home to live in and his father left the family when he was young. These examples of a struggle come together and represent Richard growing up with problems that made him heavy like a sledgehammer.

The second line in the quote talks about a person who came like a giant out of a mountain with a sledgehammer. This line is symbolic to the middle part of Richard’s life because he was frequently a victim of racial