Uncle Tom

Eli Pardue
3/2/08
AP Lang Comp
LaMags

Why is Wright so angry with his Uncle Tom?

Richard’s anger with Uncle Tom is provoked by Uncle Tom’s anger with Richard. He said that Richard was being insolent, how I did not understand, but he proceeded to threaten Richard with a terrible beating. Richard was dumbfounded by his Uncle’s reaction to something as simple as telling him the time. He did not believe that his Uncle would really beat him, just threaten to do so. Thinking logically, Richard could not believe that his uncle would be so insulted by his simple answer, but was set that he would not let his uncle beat him. He concluded this on the grounds that his Uncle was not at all his guardian, he did not live with his uncle, he had only known his uncle for a few days, and his uncle had never had any say in his rearing. He was a contributing member of the household, paying some of his earnings to his grandmother, and he had dome absolutely nothing to merit that kind of behavior from his uncle. Richard was upset with his uncle because his uncle had no authority to beat him. In addition, after Tom had given up on Richard, he symbolized the way his white employers looked down at him as someone deserving of pity and contempt. This is why Richard continued to berate his uncle as nothing more than one who makes chairs for white people to sit on.