Before the 1920s and the Harlem Renaissance, the voice of African American storytelling was relegated to stories derived from popular traditions. Tales, fables, trickster stories, and preacher tales dominated the body of African American literature. And through these stories, a self-perpetuating stereotype of black identity has spread across America, not only in white communities, but also in the African American community. Until the 1920s, African Americans were well aware of their subordinate role and did little to overcome their imposed status. However, the Harlem Renaissance and the works that emerged from that era inherently changed the way African Americans viewed themselves. They struggled to figure out exactly what it meant to be black in America; they yearned for a definition that could fit between being both American and black. As Addison Gayle noted in The Black Aesthetic: “There is always the feeling of being two: one American, one black; two souls, two thoughts, two irreconcilable efforts; two ideals at war in a single dark body, whose tenacious strength alone keeps it from being torn apart” (xxii). This black aesthetic was a design for African Americans to find identity and cultural value in a world that was still inherently foreign. This quest for identity is reflected in the novel Black Boy by Richard Wright. In this book, Wright embarks on a journey into adulthood in search of a place where he can be both black and comfortable in his ethnicity. He is looking for a place to construct his own experiences rather than remaking them based on images of white culture. Through Black Boy, Wright highlights the desire of African Americans to assert their own existence in the face of the dominant status quo of white America. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Wright makes numerous references to hunger in his book. And indeed, throughout Black Boy, Richard and his family struggle with malnutrition. In the days following his father's departure, Richard and his family were forced to go to bed without having eaten anything. The notion of hunger and malnutrition is repeated throughout the text; however, this hunger is also metaphorical of Richard's deep desire to find his place in the world. It is this thirst for social engagement and incessant artistic expression that Richard chooses to satisfy instead of eating. It is this type of livelihood that separates him from other African Americans in the South and drives him to travel north toward an identity he could call his own. Through his deep desire for personal intellectual freedom, Wright became the prototype for a new definition of the African American. This intellectual hunger, however, is not understood by those around him. Subsequently, Richard is ostracized not only from other black people, but also from his family. Through his separation, Wright opposes what Carolyn Gerald calls a “zero image,” or the stereotype established by the white community and propagated by negative images of black people in mainstream art, film, and literature (Dobie 198 ). Wright's diffusion of black identity stood in stark contrast to the attitudes of other African Americans of the time. In Black Boy, Wright's actions directly contradict the rest of the black community. For example, in a passage where Richard is conversing with his friend Griggs, he says to Richard: “Dick, look, you're black, black, black, you see? … You don’t act like that at all” (Wright 183). This dialogue reveals the inherent differences between Richard and the black community.Not only do they fail to understand Richard's ambivalence toward the stratification of racial identity in the South, they also condemn him for it. He makes no apologies for his color, and even though Griggs teaches him to "keep away from white people," Richard does not see any sort of superiority in white skin tone (184). Wright explains the origins of this attitude in chapter three in the following passage: At the age of twelve, before I had completed a full year of formal schooling, I had a view of life that no experience ever could. erase, a predilection for what was real and which no argument could ever contradict, a conception of the world which was mine and mine alone, a notion of what life meant which no education could ever modify, a belief that the meaning of life only came when one struggled to extract meaning from it. of insignificant suffering (100). This suffering is presented to Richard as a child, when he fully realizes the undeniable dangers of being black in the South. After the death of his uncle, Richard knows full well that his life depends on the mercy of the dominant white class. However, his intellect prevents him from pursuing his own subjugation. As Yoshinobu Kakutani puts it, Wright is greatly troubled by "blacks' inability to recognize the wickedness in the minds of white racists" (71). Having seen the wickedness of white supremacy, Richard is still unable to submit to the will of the South and all of its racial doctrines. Wright's problem with other blacks is evident in his work with his neighbor, the insurance agent. He sees the manifestations of illiteracy and enslavement in the black families he visits. He says: “I saw an empty, dark pool of black life and I hated it; the people were similar, their houses were similar, and their farms were similar” (137). The thirst that pushes Richard to exceed the limits of what a black teenager should be in the South was not afforded to these families. He sees in their plight a perpetual cycle of marginalization that he despises. Wright's inability to find a home within his own culture led him to create one. His relationship with other Southern blacks is a tenuous one, both pitying and aberrant. Therefore, his inability to find a home within the black community forces Richard to turn to himself for support. His thirst for something more than being "black" creates a divide between him and the definition of a black man in the South. Another example of Wright's hunger that drives him to be an outsider is his relationship with his family. With the exception of his mother, Richard is considered a sinner by his immediate family and whose intellect is a product of the Devil. His grandmother and aunts frequently hit him for his disrespectful speech and defiant manner. Richard often finds himself running away from loved ones who want to punish him for various actions or inactions. His uncle, for example, wants to beat him because of the tone of his voice. Richard retaliates by saying, “…you’re not going to whip me. You are a stranger to me. You don’t support me” (159). After some back and forth, his uncle finally tells him that one day someone will break his spirit. But it’s that spirit that doesn’t get discouraged and doesn’t make excuses. Even after his uncle tells him that Richard will never amount to anything, he responds that he doesn't care about such a statement. The exchange between Richard and his uncle is in many ways symbolic of the battle for the place of African Americans in the South. Wright refuses to let anyone tell him what he can and cannot say or do. This passage further explains Richard's feeling of being ahomeless person. Richard's Aunt Addie and his grandmother also attempt to mold him into their image by force. On several occasions, his relatives forced him to religion in the hope of saving his soul. His reading and writing escapades are considered heretical and Richard receives no support from his family. Because of his refusal to submit to their religious practices, his value as a human being is devalued. He then becomes a subordinate in his own household. The whiteness of his grandmother symbolizes her position in the house with regard to Richard. His dominance brings out his defiant side, the same way his interactions with white people do. His refusal to submit to his religious demands symbolizes his unwavering intellectual valor in the face of hostility. Another example of Wright's ambivalence toward the status quo is his refusal to deliver the graduation speech prepared for him. Because whites were to attend the ceremony, Wright had to read a speech prepared by the principle. However, he refused to read the speech, which caused an uproar among his peers. His principle rescinds his offer to allow Richard to teach at the school because of his defiance. Even his uncle tries to persuade him to read the speech, but Richard still refuses. This refusal is not simply a refusal to adhere to the wishes of others, but also a refusal to submit to the will of a culture that attempts to assert its superiority. In addition to Wright's relationships with the characters in the text, the language of Black Boy also presents a challenge to the marginalization of African Americans and creates a prototype of black identity. Black Boy is rather accessible due to its lack of direct profanity and violence, which in turn allows for a wide reader base. According to Jennifer Poulos, the availability and accessibility of the novel created an altruistic form of self-expression that challenged the racist status quo (54). The fact that the black community could actually read was itself a challenge to the racist paradigms of the South, which believed that such intellectual outlets posed a danger to their dominant status. In this sense, when Wright did use profanity in the text, the result was one of personal empowerment; Richard had control over what was said. For example, when Richard was caught swearing by his Aunt Jodi, the dialogue was in response to an inanimate object, and therefore in context, somewhat justified. However, in an earlier part of the text, when Richard was used as a source of amusement by the bar patrons, the actual text of the dialogue was missing from the book. This absence once again asserted its power over the dialogue. Richard had no idea what the words he said actually meant and would therefore have diminished his character if the profanities had been recalled accurately. This strategy, according to Poulos, kept the text serious and placed power firmly in Wright's hands to prevent critics from dismissing the work as profane or obscene (55). However, Wright did not hesitate to use the profane in describing white people. For example, when Richard accepted the job at an optical store, one of the employees stopped him and asked: "...how long does your stuff last...the stuff that the bull uses on the cow...I heard that a nigger could stick his tail in the ground. and spins on it like a top” (Wright 188). This dialogue exasperates the character, but also shows the type of lower class used in white dialect. The passage between Richard and his colleagues culminates in a physical threat, where Reynolds shouts: "If you say you didn't do it, I'm going to rip your intestinal cord out with this fkg bar, you, 1998.