Blog – What is Wright’s realization at the end of the novel? Do you agree with it?
At the end of the book, Wright realizes two things: that we are all humans with hunger and that he, himself, needs to write. His last sentence, "I would hurl words into this darkness and wait for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of the hunger for life that gnaws in us all, to keep alive in our hearts a sense of the inexpressibly human" combines both elements. The beginning of the sentence deals with his need to write. He says that he will write about the black struggle ("the darkness") and listen for the response ("the echo"). If he felt any response, then he would continue writing to create the "spark in the darkness". He finishes the sentence by explaining the purpose of his writing: to prove that blacks are just as human as whites. In fact, Wright's biggest realization is that both whites and blacks struggle with fear and uncertainty, but yet they both have a "hunger" to survive.
From a modern standpoint, it's hard not to look back and agree. I think we've made enough progress that we can recognize the truth in racial equality.
1 comment:
Josh,
This was a great blog in that you explained how he realized that his hunger didn't really go away, but he determined that he needed to write. I like how you included what LaMags talked about with the imagery of "sparking a light," to make him continue writing. I also agree that we have made enough progress in our society that we can recognize the truth in racial equality. Good blog!
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