Ella's paralysis

Eli Pardue
2/27/08
AP Lang Comp
LaMags

Explain Wright’s response to his mother’s paralysis

Wright is very upset by his mother’s paralysis. He does not cry or show grief, but he is very troubled. He cares for his mother very much and worries about her; we can see that because Richard chooses to go with the uncle that lives closest to his mother. However, he ends up returning to his mother anyways. He learns that the bed he sleeps in had a child die in it. I think this unnerves Richard because he constantly sees his mother in a state close to death (or reminiscent of death) while resting in a bed. He leaves to go back to his mother to make sure she will not end up as the former occupant of his bed.
Richard also resents his mother’s illness because it its unfair to him. He has to work when she is sick. He has to care for the house when she is sick. He sees everything that is bad in his world through his mother’s illness. In his ideal world, only those deserving would be ill, and his mother would not be burdened by the problems of childcare and money. His mother’s state of health makes Richard question all aspects of his life. He questions why he much live in poverty, why he must be discriminated against, why he must always be hungry, and why he must not receive a full education.