Character Clues

Character Analysis

Props

You can't think about "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" without thinking about Dave and his dinky peashooter.

At first, the gun seems to only highlight Dave's immaturity. Get this: Although he buys it to feel like a man, he can't get the courage to shoot it because "he had been afraid that his father might hear" (115). Does that sound like a man to you? Then, when he actually shoots it for the first time, he closes his eyes and loses his grip on the gun from the force of the recoil. This kid is no Dirty Harry, that's for sure.

Dave's relationship with the gun changes over the course of the story, though. The second time he fires it he does so with "his eyes open" and "the gun [...] still in his hands" (209). Little victories, right? This represents Dave achieving some semblance of adulthood—and at the very least, he's showing that he's capable of learning from his mistakes. We hate to spoil things for you, but making and learning from mistakes is pretty much adulthood in a nutshell.

Actions

Dave tries so hard to prove he's a real man that he ends up revealing how immature he truly is.

Just look at the whole gun situation. Dave buys his precious little pistol but is too afraid to shoot it because "he had been afraid that his father might hear" (115). Weren't you trying to prove that you were a tough guy by buying that thing, Dave? Later, when he actually does shoot it, he closes his eyes and holds it limply, the gun flying out his hands and the bullet killing poor Jenny. If we take these actions at face value, it's clear as day that Dave is still immature.

On the other hand, Dave's decision to skip town reveals something totally different. Dave knows that he's reached a dead-end in his life, so he's going to do something about it, venturing off into the great unknown to find "somewhere where he could be a man" (212). Although this might seem like yet another immature move on Dave's part, we'd argue that the decision represents him taking control of his own destiny for the first time. It might not be the most responsible action to take, but we admire him for doing it.

Social Status

Although you might not notice it at first, social status is absolutely integral to "The Man Who Was Almost a Man." On one hand, the Saunders family lives a relatively meager existence. While they're not starving or anything, this isn't exactly high-class living—when Mrs. Saunders sees Dave's catalog, she tries to "'use it in the outhouse'" (49) as toilet paper. Yuck. All in all, it's established that the Saunders family is just scraping by, grateful for even the small amount of payment that Dave gets for working in the fields.

On the other hand, Mr. Hawkins is all about putting on the Ritz. His "big white house" (210) is a clear analogue to plantation houses from the days of slavery, representing how that institution's social structures are still in play even though slavery is now illegal. Plus, Hawkins's insistence that Dave pay him fifty bucks is a little absurd when you think about it—Hawkins could wipe his butt with fifty dollars. That would be a lot softer and more plush than a torn up catalog, we can tell you that much.