The character of Wright’s mother in Black Boy from LitCharts

Black Boy

Richard Wright

Wright’s mother works hard to support Richard and his brother from a young age, but after her husband leaves the family, she must take on additional work in the kitchens of white families. Wright’s mother later succumbs to a series of strokes and is ill for much of Wright’s young life. At the end of the memoir, however, Wright’s mother has built up enough strength to be able to move north, to Chicago, with Wright, his brother, and Aunt Maggie.

Wright’s mother Quotes in Black Boy

The Black Boy quotes below are all either spoken by Wright’s mother or refer to Wright’s mother. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Harper Perennial edition of Black Boy published in 2015.

You owe a debt you can never pay.
I’m sorry.
Being sorry can’t make that kitten live again.

Related Characters: (speaker), (speaker)

Related Symbols:

Page Number and Citation: 14

Explanation and Analysis:

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Mama, is Granny white?
If you’ve got eyes, you can see what color she is.
I mean, do the white folks think she’s white?
Why don’t you ask the white folks that?
But you know.
Why should I know? I’m not white.
Granny looks white. Then why is she living with us colored folks?
Don’t you want Granny to live with us?

Related Characters: (speaker), (speaker),

Page Number and Citation: 53

Explanation and Analysis:

Why are there so many black men wearing stripes?
It’s because . . . Well, they’re harder on black people.

Related Characters: (speaker), (speaker)

Related Symbols:

Page Number and Citation: 66

Explanation and Analysis:

Son, you ought to be more serious. You’re growing up now and you won’t be able to get jobs if you let people think that you’re weak-minded. Suppose the superintendent of schools would ask you to teach here in Jackson, and he found out that you had been writing stories?

Related Characters: (speaker),

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Page Number and Citation: 192

Explanation and Analysis:

Wright’s mother Character Timeline in Black Boy

The timeline below shows where the character Wright’s mother appears in Black Boy. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...book’s author and narrator—and his unnamed brother sit quietly in their house in Mississippi. Their mother informs them that they must stay quiet, because their grandmother (their father’s mother) is dying.... (full context)

Christianity and “Being Saved” Theme Icon

...tugging at him, and his father pulls Richard from out of his hiding place. Richard’s mother and father seem relieved, at first, that Richard is OK, and tell Richard that their... (full context)

Richard’s brother is horrified by Richard’s actions, and Richard’s mother chastises him, saying that it was a sin to kill the cat, and that Richard... (full context)

...there is no food in the house. At first, when he tells this to his mother, she laughs and says he should catch a “kungry” if he’s hungry—an imaginary beast that... (full context)

His mother begins sending Richard out to buy groceries, and a pack of young boys in the... (full context)

Richard’s mother begins working as a cook for a white family, and Richard—who is forced to watch... (full context)

One day, Richard’s mother orders coal for the house and tells Richard to wait for the delivery man to... (full context)

...this age—around six—Richard also learns of the hatred between “white” and “black” people from his mother. Richard is at first confused, since his Granny (his mother’s mother) has very light skin... (full context)

Richard’s mother scrapes together money to send Richard to school—she must buy him a uniform so he... (full context)

Richard’s mother becomes more observantly religious after his father leaves, and she invites the preacher from the... (full context)

Richard goes to court, with his brother and mother, as his mother attempts to argue before a judge that Richard’s father should pay child... (full context)

...takes Richard back to the orphanage, where he is lashed by Miss Simon. When his mother next visits, she tells Richard that he must remain in the orphanage and be a... (full context)

His mother agrees to take Richard out of the orphanage if he will go to his father... (full context)

Richard’s mother comes back to Richard—who has not yet left the orphanage, since his mother still cannot... (full context)

Richard’s mother and the two boys stop in Jackson to see Granny, who lives in a relatively... (full context)

Richard’s mother falls ill again and remains in her bed. One night, when Granny is bathing Richard... (full context)

...the more peaceful moments he and his brother enjoy with Grandpa and Granny. But Richard’s mother soon takes Richard and his brother aboard a train to Arkansas, where they will live... (full context)

Richard asks if he is black, and his mother says that society will view him as “colored,” but that Richard’s ancestry is really a... (full context)

Richard, his brother, and his mother move in with his Aunt Maggie—his mother’s sister—and her husband, Uncle Hoskins. The house in... (full context)

...although Maggie wishes to go down to the bar to find out what happened, Richard’s mother urges her to stay home. Because Hoskins was killed extra-legally, and because the white authorities... (full context)

But after some time, Richard’s mother decides that Granny’s strict religious rules in the house are too much to bear, and... (full context)

...and carries him back home, then launches into a tirade when Aunt Maggie and Richard’s mother return from their jobs (they are once again cooking for white families in the area).... (full context)

...as he only visits Richard’s house at night, and when Richard asks his aunt and mother about this, they reply that Matthews is on the run from white people who wish... (full context)

One night, Matthews enters the house in a hurry, and tells Maggie and Richard’s mother, with Richard overhearing from his bedroom that he (Matthews) has set fire to a house... (full context)

...and takes his dog home. The dog is later crushed by a car, and his mother calls Richard a “fool” for not taking the money—as now the family has no money... (full context)

Richard’s mother finds a new job as an assistant to a white doctor, and her wages are... (full context)

...Richard is hit in the head with a rock, and when he later shows his mother what has happened, she beats him, saying that white boys could kill Richard in a... (full context)

One day, Richard’s brother calls him in to his mother’s bedroom, and the two boys discover that their mother is paralyzed on her left side,... (full context)

...his insolence, Richard begs again to be sent back to Jackson, to Granny and his mother, and Clark finally agrees to do so. By the end of the week, Richard is... (full context)

After returning to be with his mother, Richard realizes that her series of operations and treatments will leave her mostly sick for... (full context)

Richard recognizes that, as he is now an “uninvited dependent” in Granny’s home—since his mother is no longer earning money, but rather lying in her bed, and since Richard’s brother... (full context)

...she tries to beat him, since he has done nothing to deserve punishment. Granny, Richard’s mother, and Grandpa finally persuade Richard to put down the knife, but Granny and Grandpa call... (full context)

...converting Richard to Christianity, and Richard settles into an uneasy truce with them, as his mother recovers enough at least to encourage Richard in his studies from her bed. Richard enrolls... (full context)

One summer day, Richard is sitting on the porch steps with Granny, Addie, and mother—Granny and Addie are arguing about “religious doctrine,” as they often do, and Richard is mostly... (full context)

...altogether, Granny relents, and Richard is permitted to work on Saturdays. When Richard tells his mother this, she is proud of him for standing up to Granny and Addie. (full context)

Richard’s mother again begins to recover from her stroke-induced paralysis, and begins going to a Methodist church... (full context)

Richard’s mother does so, and begins weeping and praying for Richard, begging him to accept Christ and... (full context)

In the summer after seventh grade Richard's mother again falls ill. To bring in extra money and help around the house, Granny and... (full context)

...is leaving town, for Memphis, and that he won’t be returning any time soon. His mother worries that he is leaving to avoid some crime he has committed, and Richard does... (full context)

Richard’s brother, who has been living in Jackson with their mother, comes up to Memphis with her to join Richard, and the three move into a... (full context)

Aunt Maggie also moves to Memphis, as she is looking for work. Maggie, Richard's mother and brother, and Richard all decide simply to leave for Chicago as soon as possible,... (full context)

Richard Wright

Wright’s brother

Black Boy

Richard Wright

Wright’s mother Character Analysis

Wright’s mother Quotes in Black Boy

Wright’s mother Character Timeline in Black Boy