Is Richard a "bad" boy?
When should behavior be blamed on the person and when should it be blamed on the environment?
I do not believe that Richard is a "bad" boy morally. In chapter 1, Richard killed the kitten, burned a house, got drunk in saloons and wrote obscenities on windows. These are all "bad" things to do, but considering the situation Richard was in and the hardships he has endured, I would not label him as being bad.
Most of what Richard has done was wrong, but he was motivated not by his own evil conscience, but by certain events and surroundings. For example, when Richard first moved to Memphis, he was surrounded by a completely different environment. He grew up being sheltered from drunkeness, perversion, and most evil things that occur in big cities. He was enticed into the saloons by sheer curiosity of something new and different (and the entertainment of watching drunks). He did not want to drink at first because he saw it's ill effects, but was persuaded to by adults (an authorty that his mother taught him not to disobey). The writing of profanities around the city was also an effect of his drinking, which he is 100% responsible for, but not enough to brand him as an insane alcoholic.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Saturday, September 8, 2007
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