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Childhood

Richard Wright grew up in Mississippi with his mother, father, and brother; but the relationship with his father was strained and eventually ended with Wright's father leaving the family to marry another woman.

Wright's mother struggled to support her sons on her own, but eventually fell victim to illness and had to move in with her parents. During the deteriorating situation, Wright was offered residency with his father and new wife. He declined on principle (he would later describe his father as a simple man who had allowed himself to be mentally enslaved).

When Wright and his mother moved in with his grandmother, the Seventh-day Adventist was glad to welcome her daughter and grandchildren, and while food had been scarce before, it was now plentiful. The first serious conflict between Wright and his grandmother was over religion; his need to work conflicted with his grandmother's faith, which disallowed secular work on Saturdays. Exacerbating the situation was Wright's disinterest in church, which convinced his grandmother that he was a lost soul. Consequently, she resigned to allowing him to work on Saturdays. Wright's irreligiousness was also criticized by other relatives who came to live in the household during hard times. His sick mother became his only ally, his brother having been taken to live with other relatives.