Wright grew up in the South in the early twentieth century, where racism against African-Americans was a part of life that both he and his mother had to deal with on a daily basis. However, Wright’s views toward racism were quite different from his mother’s views. When he was younger, he questioned his mother about blacks and whites, but she did not answer his questions (Wright 47). Because of his lack of education, he was not fully aware of the racial relations at the time. At the age of six, Wright began drinking with white people at saloons; however, he did not know that his actions at the saloons were solely for the entertainment

There is no right or wrong answer as to why the views of Wright and his mother differ, but one way to account for the differences is to think of the times in which the two grew up. Wright’s mother was born in 1883 (Wright 385), only about twenty years after the Civil War. Both of her parents lived through the war as well. She grew up in the times of Reconstruction, the Ku Klux Klan, the lynching of blacks in the South, and other racial issues. By the time Wright was born in 1908 (Wright 385), the tension between blacks and whites was not as fierce and overt as the Reconstruction period.

In the early twentieth century, America experienced the Great Depression. This left blacks, as well as millions of other people in poverty. The Communist Party prompted solutions to the various problems of the economy that, in theory, would work out for the economy. However, as Wright experienced firsthand, even the Communist Party had its troubles. This is illustrated through his experience at the Chicago John Reed Club. While he was a leader of the club, a comrade named Young from Detroit joined the club. Through Young’s influence, the members of the club started turning against each other. Later, Wright and the other members come to realize that Young was a mental patient who had escaped from his institution (Wright 324-28). Later, other Communists turned against Wright on May Day because he did not want to march (Wright 379-81). Because of these events and others, Wright turns away from the Communist Party permanently.

There were also factors that pulled African-Americans to the North during the Great Migration. Because of World War I, there was an enormous need for war products. Because most of the factories were located in the northern cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, and Detroit, there were much more jobs available in the North than in the South. Publications like the Chicago Defender advertised these job openings (Faragher, et. al, 320-21). Also, there was a sharp decline in immigration during the war. Of the few immigrants during this time period, the majority of them were French Canadians and Mexicans. Another reason for the labor shortage in the North was the fact that men were being enlisted and drafted to fight in the war.

of the white people (Wright 19-22). His ignorance to the racial plight carries on in his life. For his ninth grade graduation, Wright is asked to do a speech at the ceremony. He refuses to read a speech written by the principal and instead opts to read a speech written by him. Even when he is offered a chance to go to school and college, Wright refuses:

Wright’s mother had different values. It is evident that religion was a big focus in her life. After she recovered from strokes, Wright’s mother attended a Methodist church. She wanted Wright to be saved from his sins for the afterlife, so he was talked into being baptized (Wright 155). Wright’s mother also believed in him finding a job than being educated. When Wright wrote The Voodoo of Hell’s Half-Acre, she tells him to be more serious in finding work than in writing stories (Wright 168). The responses and attitudes to racism that Wright’s mother held were more typical of African-Americans th

Some topics in this essay:
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