Dimensions of Child Abuse and Traumatic Memories in Richard Wright’s Black Boy

Abstract

Racism is a form of discrimination that conditions the existence of African Americans physically and psychologically. Richard Wright’s Black Boy illustrates the effect of racism on the lives of African Americans in the American society. Through literary depictions, he accounts for the psychological effect of racism on African Americans. This study, through the application of critical race theory and trauma theory examines Wright's Black Boy as a traumatic memory of the fictional autobiographical narrator within the world of the novel. This study adopts a qualitative research approach and observes that the concept of whiteness from when Richard was four has been a source of trauma for him, and he did all he could to survive the American society. This study submits that Wright’s father is traumatised by his experiences of slavery and an attempt to survive the racial system, and as such, he looks for an easy means out of his fatherly responsibility. This study concludes that Richard is a traumatic patient who was first traumatised by the actions of his family and the censorship he faced. Richard’s experiences of subjugation at the hands of fellow blacks and whites in the American society all lead to various levels of abuse, resulting in trauma.