The reader is always conscious of the unique nature of the author. In many ways he seems to consider himself exempt from normal human fallacies. Ruthless in his condemnation of any weakness, he is rarely self-critical. What he ultimately discovers in his self-analysis is that his reactions have been justifiable. This quality of egotism gives the book a strident tone at times, which confirms what he is saying about himself; that is, Wright is not a sociable person, but a critical observer who alienates others by his moral position.
Given the circumstances of his life, Richard the boy and Wright the author do in fact hold a justifiable position. Viewed as coldly as it is in Black Boy, society is invariably and simply wrong. Richard is not a deviant personality, but a natural product of his circumstances. This is what the book is telling us. Richard Wright is not going to soothe anyone's nerves.
If, therefore, the reader finds the tone of the book irritating, it is inevitable. The questions Wright is raising can only have answers that are serious and upsetting. These are the questions Richard has been asking himself from a very early age: why is my family disrupted? Why is Granny oppressive? Why do my friends and I have such limited futures? Why do white people set out to destroy me? What have I done as an individual to deserve this treatment from society? And how can I escape? Richard has to come to terms with his own personal history by escaping from the place where it endures. And he has to conceive of his past and write about it as if it were typical, in order to understand and answer those questions. This is his legacy for the future of black and white America.
