The Man Who Was Almost A Man

Did the use of dialect add or take away from the overall message of “The Man who was Almost a Man?”

At first I was very confused by the dialect used. It was very different from many of the other pieces we have read this semester and it was hard to adjust my eyes to the improper grammar and poor spelling. I found myself looking forward to the parts where I didn’t have to analyze every letter to figure out what he was saying.  Although it was hard to get used to at first, I believe that the use of dialect helped add to the message of the story. It helps show the differences between the black and white characters. Mr. Hawkins talks with a Southern drawl, but he seems more educated. When Dave arrives early to the fields on page 2522, the dialogue between them it is quite evident who is the more educated one of the two. “What’re yuh doing here so early?” “Ah didn’t know Ah wuz gittin up so early, Mistah Hawkins. Ah wuz fixin t hitch up ol Jenny n take her t the fiels.” Mr. Hawkins talks more in complete sentences, with all the syllables and words complete. Dave’s dialect seems to leave out letters and syllables of words. His and his family’s dialect almost seem like a puzzle that needs to be put together. The dialect helps put into perspective that there is very little growth for Dave. It will take him two years to pay for Jenny. There is no room for opportunity and the dialect helps show that.

What does the gun symbolize?

The gun symbolizes power, respect, and becoming a man. It is everything that Dave wants. He wants to have power; he wants respect from his coworkers, boss, parents, village people, etc. Dave thinks that the gun will automatically get people to respect, “…feeling a sense of power. Could kill a man with a gun like this. Kill anybody, black or white...nobody could run over him; they would have to respect him” (2522). He thinks that by owning a gun everyone will treat him like an adult and not like a child and will no longer call him “boy.” Although he believed this, possessions can’t make you any more mature or respected, which is why Dave made the mistake he made. If he was a little more mature and his father taught him how to operate the gun cautiously he would have been able to avoid this situation. After seeing the consequences of their actions, most people learn from their mistakes, endure their punishment, and move on. Its shown that Dave hasn’t matured at all from his mistake when he wants to shoot the gun again and then pictures shooting Mr. Hawkins house, “Ah’d like t scare ol man Hawkins jusa little...Jusa enough t let im know Dave Saunders is a man” (2526).  He hasn’t learned or matured any from his mistake and still strives to be seen as masculine, and wants to be respected.