easy, for some people tend to suffer different forms of oppression. In this case, it hap Growing up as a Negro in the South in the early 1900’s is not that pens in the autobiography called Black Boy written by Richard Wright. The novel is set in the early part of the 1900’s, somewhere in deep Jim Crow South. Richard Wright, who is obviously the main character, is also the protagonist. The antagonist is no one person in particular, for it takes many different forms called "oppression" in general. The main character over comes this "oppression" by rebelling against the common roles of the black, Jim Crow society. Richard Wright’s character was affected in early childhood by the effects of societal oppression, but he became a great American author despite these negative factors in his life. Today everyone encounters some form of oppression. One of the forms Richard is encountering is called societal oppression. As an example, after Richard sees a "black" boy whipped by a "white" man, he asks his mother why did the incident happen. His mother says, " ‘The "white" man did not whip the "black" boy…He beat the "black" boy, ’ "(31). This quote is showing racism, which is one way of society keeping Richard Wright, and all other blacks in the South down. Another example is when is at the rail road station with his mother, and as they are waiting for the train, he sees something he has never seen, "…for the first time I noticed that there were two lines of people at the ticket window, a "white" line and a "black" line," (55). This excerpt is demonstrating how this scene of Jim Crow laws is keeping a certain group of people apart, which is also another form of societal oppression. Societal oppression occurs again when Richard is "hanging" out with his friends, and their conversation with each other leads on to the subject of war. One of his friends really get into the subject and says, " ‘Yeah, the...
