Richard Wright was a young man of extreme intelligence and openness in speaking his mind. Richard's writings in "Black Boy" are a compilation of his alienation, not only from white society, but from his own people. In Richard's childhood there was practically no possibility of a personality like his developing freely. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayEverything conspired against personal freedom, not only the white social structure, but also the black one. Richard was treated brutally and tyrannically at home to avoid being treated the same or worse outside the home and especially in white society. His family tried to impose a code of conduct on him, so he would not be harmed in the presence of white people. The family was trying to convey to Richard that black children should never strive to be anything more than black children; if they did, not only would they suffer a terrible fate at the hands of white people, but so would their families. This was a method of limiting one's individuality, fortunately! Richard managed to overcome this and aspired to become a great writer. Richard's struggle for freedom and individuality began at a young age with the brutality of his family and black society. We see this very early on when Richard is beaten, almost to death, by his mother and father for setting the house on fire. One could argue that the beating was justified, but the extreme method of this beating cannot be justified. It seems that Richard was more afraid of the punishment he would receive from his family, rather than the punishment he would receive from the whites. He shows this when he gets into fights with the white kids while going grocery shopping and his mother keeps sending him back to buy groceries. “I can choose whether to be beaten at home or away from home” (p20) He chose to fight white boys rather than be beaten by his mother, this helped build his individuality. This brutality within the family continued with other members of his family after his mother became ill. This was to ensure that he learned the code of conduct he was supposed to follow towards white people. Richard's biggest struggles were with his grandmother and Aunt Addie, as they tried to control his individuality. Richard attends the Seventh-day Adventist school taught by his Aunt Addie and rebels against its strict rules. While at school he was criticized and punished by his Aunt Addie for throwing walnut shells on the floor, which he had not done. Richard respected his street gang's code of not reporting someone for their crimes, so he was punished again. Richard did not excel in school while his aunt was his teacher. Once Richard transfers to the public Jim Hill School, he excels academically and makes friends. Richard was finally considered a lost cause by his family; they no longer expect anything from him, so he was free to do what he wanted. Richard is now no longer one to fight against his family for their approval, so he turns his rebellion outward. Richard, becoming aware of a world outside his own, begins with his mother's questions on the subject of white people. Richard feels that he may be late in learning to perceive white people because he never really thought about them, they simply existed. Furthermore, the fact that “the delay in learning to perceive white people as white comes from the fact that many of my relatives were white-looking people” (p27). His mother tries to protect him from seeing her.