The Man Who Was Almost A Man

I remember the first time I shot a gun.  Unlike Dave, my first time shooting was with a rifle.  I was so terrified because I knew that it was going to be loud and I was positive that it would have a bad kick, so I kept asking my dad "Are you sure it won't hurt me?" and he always told me it would just feel like someone was pushing on my shoulder.  Well, he lied.  I was sore for days and didn't want to shoot ever again, but I changed my mind real quick when I was given a rifle of my own.  After practicing with it enough, I barely feel the kick anymore but the sound is still awful.  But I got use to it and it doesn't scare me anymore.  Anyways, just like Dave, I felt so powerful and really cool because I'm from a small town where pretty much everyone hunts, even the girls.  So I understand the excitement that he felt about owning a gun, but he bought the gun for very wrong reasons.  I don't really have a problem with the fact that he wanted it so that he would be a man, because being able to use a gun is something that would make a boy feel like a man, so that was understandable.  But what he was planning to use the gun for was terrible!  And I knew the moment he hid it under his pillow that someone was going to end up shot.


In the beginning of this story, when Dave first said he wanted to kill someone, by the use of vulgar language, I assumed that Dave was just a very southern white boy, so I was really surprised when I got further into the story and realized that he was actually black.  So I'm really confused about who he was so angry with at the beginning of the story that he wanted to shoot.  I actually don't think race was meant to be the issue for this story.  As it said in Wright's biography, it was to tell a coming of age story for a young boy who wanted to be respected.  But anyways... I thought the story was very interesting and it teaches a nice lesson.  It shows that it takes more than being a tough guy, or in this case being able to shoot a gun, to make a boy a man.  The fact that he ran away in the end to someplace where he could be a man showed that he was actually still just a scared little boy.  

Rest In Peace Jenny.  Poor horse!