omen back, Richard Wright attacksracial identity and the oppression he himself facesas an African American man living in the UnitedStates. Friedan points out the myths that arisefrom society are similar to Wright’s dialogue in hisnovel that:The image of the feminists as inhuman, fiery man-eaters, whether expressed as anoffense against God or in the modern terms of sexual perversion, is not unlikethe stereotype of the Negro as a primitive animal (Friedan 87).This illustrates that the views people hold towardothers are stereotypical because the outcasts arenot the “white man” that dominates the world. Being different makes the world interesting, ifeveryone looked and dressed the same the worldwould be boring. Yet no one can get beyond thecolor difference or the gender difference.Like the women feeling a void in their livesby being a housewife, African American men, likeWright feel an emptiness. This emptiness, like thewomen Friedan describes, is the lack of self-worthin the world. African Americans lack education,but Richard Wright who had a man delivering coal toteach him the numbers and later on the alphabetthen Wright begins to fill “ a new hunger,” thehunger for reading and gaining knowledge.Since education is power, white men do notwant the African Americans to gain that power tohave them achieve something in the “real world.” But:whites were as miserable as their black victims... [i]f this country can’t find its way to a human path...then all of us, black as well as white, are going down the same drain (Wright 383).Wright brings forth a good point that by holdingone race back it may be holding back the wholeworld. For once, an African American male orfemale may have been put on this world to make apurpose in our lives, and by not fulfilling theirminds with knowledge to help them achieve that goalwe are set behind. Just as Friedan points out that“America’s greatest sou...
