Black Boy

Black Boy, Richard Wright's autobiography, covers his childhood and early adulthood. It opens with four-year-old Richard's rebellion against authority. At the time, Richard was restless and resentful of his mother's demand of silence. Richard accidentally burned down his grandparents' house in his attempt to find something to occupy his time. After his mother determined that he was unharmed, she beat him so badly he lost consciousness. When Richard and his brother were very young, Nathan …

…him in Communism. He felt that he could aid the Communists in spreading their message with his writing, After a series of political battles and a great deal of persecution, Richard became estranged from the Party. He was kicked out by several Communists when he tried to march in a May Day parade, but he did not let this rejection defeat him. Instead, he resolved to find his own forms of expression through his writing.