Document Type
Article
Abstract
An autobiography can invite readers to hold an author to account for a story's themes, by separating truthful components of the narrative from their fictional counterparts. Richard Wright's very act of writing down his "life" means there's some self-mythologizing occurring, as the author chooses what to keep, what to omit and what to exaggerate in order to convey his character. This construction of self also shows some of the limitations of the author's struggle against racism, through his implied complicity in women's oppression as he presents a pattern of pseudo-rebellion against restrictive female figures in the lives of his male protagonist.
Repository Citation
Chavers, Linda. "The Spot In The Mirror: The Role of Gender in Richard Wright's Black Boy." Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture vol. 8, no. 4, 2008, pp. 1–9. https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/reconstruction/vol8/iss4/13