In "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" by Richard Wright, the protagonist of the story is Dave, an African-American boy in the South. He introduces the themes to the story by struggling to find some sort of control over his life. One theme is coming-of-age, he feels the urge to transition from childhood to adulthood. The undrelying theme is race and racism, so he feels that he needs to work much harder in order to gain power and respect as an adult man. Both of these themes are link the theme, the search for power. He lacks power in all aspects of his life, and he feels that owning a gun will bring him the maturity and power he desires.