Richard's Famine

Richard hungers for many things in life, the most obvious being food. Richard constantly speaks of how his daily meals consisting of mush, lard gravy and a plate of greens are never filling enough and how he yearns for the grumbles in his stomach to be stopped. While at first Richard’s empty stomach is painful and keeps him from focusing on school, eventually his appetite makes him get a job. With a job Richard is able to become more independent and is able to gain more insight into the relationships of blacks and whites in the community. Richard also hungers for acceptance. He picks fights at the beginning of school terms, so he will be respected enough to become one of the guys. At the same time though, he becomes part of the church. Although Richard has no spiritual feelings and joins to keep his friends, Richard also pleases his mother in doing so. Richard also hungers for knowledge. This leads him into trouble as his endless questions usually lead to annoyance and in turn beatings. Richard’s search for knowledge also allows his to develop aspirations that will get him past oppression.