Comparing the Innocent Criminal in Black Boy, Uncle Toms...

The Innocent Criminal in Black Boy, Uncle Toms Children, Native Son, and The Outsider It is probably a mere accident that I never killed, Richard Wright commented offhandedly in an interview with Robert Moss (596). After reading several of Wrights works, one can easily understand what Wright means by this statement. In his books Black Boy, Uncle Toms Children, Native Son, and The Outsider, Wright suggests that white society has transformed black people into criminals. The source of this claim comes from Wrights personal experiences as a Negro in the Deep South. Whether pushed to crime from necessity or for personal fulfillment and self-realization, the protagonists of Wrights works are innocent criminals; they know†¦show more content†¦While sitting with his family on the porch, Wright piped up and had [his] say (133), even though he had no right to speak without permission. As his grandmother lunges toward him, Wright scrambles and avoids a slap; as a result, his grandmother falls down the stairs from her own momentum. Wright is forced to feel guilty a s his family blames him for Grannys injury. As he says in Black Boy: Had I done right or had I done wrong ? If I had held still and let Granny slap me, she would not have fallen. But was it not natural to dodge a blow ? (134) Wrights Aunt Addie confronts him and they argue: You see what youve done to Granny, she said. I didnt touch her, I said. I had wanted to ask how Granny was, but my fear made me forget that. You were trying to kill her, Aunt Addie said. I didnt touch Granny, and you know it! You are evil. You bring nothing but trouble! I was trying to dodge her. She was trying to hit me. I had done nothing wrong.... (134) Brutalized and misunderstood by both his family and his society, Wright developed personal characteristics that are reflected in his writing: rebelliousness, introversion, a quest for selfhood, a longing for stable and meaningful values, and an appetite for violence (Moss 596). As Wright struggles to escape this oppressive society, he resorts to petty crimes: sellingShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pageshe cannot keep up (literally!) with Dr. Robbin’s accomplishments on the track, Dr. Judge enjoys golf, cooking and baking, literature (he’s a particular fan of Thomas Hardy and is a member of the Thomas Hardy Society), and keeping up with his three children, who range in age from 23 to 9. Preface Welcome to the fifteenth edition of Organizational Behavior! Long considered the standard for all organizational behavior textbooks, this edition continues its tradition of making current, relevant research