NON-AFRICAN PROSE
RICHARD WRIGHT: Black Boy
Examine the role of Richard’s mother in the novel
Explanation
Richard’s mother, Ella Wilson Wright, plays a prominent role in the novel. She is quite a strong woman who, right from the beginning of her marriage has to struggle in order to keep afloat in facing the challenges of bringing up the children and that of marital life. She has the unfortunate experience of being abandoned by Richard’s father which has ar adverse effect on the children especially Richard. This arouses in Ella the need to stand up to the task of bringing up the children, failure of which may predispose them to a life of doom.
She is a wonderful mother to the children but is a disciplinarian at the same time. Ella makes Richard to bury the kitten, which he spitefully kills, in order to teach him a lesson. She makes him to know that it is not good to kill.
Ella also teaches Richard to be brave and face the odds of life no matter what the circumstances. An example of this is found in the encounter between Richard and the members of the gang who waylay him on his way to the grocery store when he is six years old. Twice the boys beat Richard up and rob him of his money. On the third time however, his mother slaps him, gives him more money with a stern warning that he should not come home empty-handed. This boosts Richard’s courage and in the third encounter, he succeeds in beating the boys, making them tc flee home to their parents.
This early training inculcates in Richard the need for self defence and survival. This helps Richard later in life -because he always has to fight in order to assert himself. A good mother, she forces Richard, in spite of his lack of belief in Christianity to attend a revival service. Though confused, Richard, knowing that his mother truly loves him, does not want to disappoint her. According to him, “If refuse, it means that I do not love my mother”. At last, he joins the baptismal class.
Ella represents in the novel the entire Negro womenfolk who have to face the task of fending for their children, and to a large extent expresses the biased nature of the laws of the society. This is why after Ella falls sick, Richard has to take up the responsibility of feeding the family. Ella labours se much to send the children to school within the limits of her financial income. Again, Elia serves as a role model to women who, in spite of the fact that they are saddled with the responsibility of carrying out these enormous tasks, refuse to trade away their dignity and flirt around with the menfolk.
Through her, a profound statement is made on the injustice in a society that treats womanhood with contempt and subjects them to constant harassment, intimidation and oppression. All in all, Ella Wright is a very caring and loving mother who plays a prominent role in the novel.