The movie almost a man by Richard Wright is an intriguing story about a young man named Dave who's desperate to grow up. What Dave doesn't realize is that in his friends and family's eyes he seems ignorant, not realizing that the way he's trying to grow up he's doing what a child would do and is thinking childish.
Dave is a 16-year-old young man full of life; unsure of himself he believes owning a gun is necessary in his attempt to grow up. Not supporting violence in any way. I do not like the fact that Dave thinks that by owning a gun he will feel more like a man. On the contrary I think it makes him less of a man because he needs a weapon in order to protect, defend himself, or just appear to be a man.
When Dave is in Mr. Joe's local store he portrays like a five-year-old kid at the candy store who runs and asks mommy to buy him a lollypop. Proving my point once again, if Dave was truly a man he would have found a way to purchase the gun other than asking his mom for money. When Dave wouldn't ask or tell his father he was acting like a child who was scared of telling his father he received a bad grade in school. While I do believe a man should respect his father and even be a little intimidated I do not think a man should be scared nor afraid to talk to his father about any matter especially about starting or attempting to be a man. I believe he should have came at his father in a different way, maybe if Dave would have asked his father to teach him how to shoot a gun then maybe his father would have had a little more respect towards his son and might have got him a gun.
My condolences to Jenny the mule, I feel she did not have to get shoot especially for a foolish attempt of a boy trying to become a man when he's not. I believe Mr. Hopkins felt bad for Dave because he gave him a chance to pay for the mule and to take responsibility like the man he claims to be, but Dave did not handle this matter like a man.