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The words of a great scholar read, “There is a period near the beginning of every man’s life when he has little to cling to except his unmanageable dream, little to support him except good health, and nowhere to go but all over the place.” (White). One of the most sought after attributes that constitute being a man is respect and without it, one may experience a feeling of being lees than human. In the enlightening short story “The Man Who Was Almost A Man”, the author, Richard Wright, renders the role of protagonist to a seventeen-year-old black boy named Dave. This aforementioned character grew up during the late 1800’s in a time when black men were treated inferior to their just as equal counterparts and the only thing that was keeping him being considered and respected as a man was the lack of possessing a gun. With this, one can come to the conclusion that becoming a man may be seen as a right-of-passage for those who believe that this status can be achieved through material possessions that esoterically render pride, strength and endless, unforeseen ambition. Pride is a feeling that is housed within man’s heart and soul and may be thought of as having the most value when it comes to maintaining self-esteem. D