Wright indicates that surmounting oppression is an aspect of growing up. From this point-of-view, many people never truly grow up; Wright was fortunate in discovering his particular version of escape just in time.

Race remains a very complex issue. The differences between human beings are equally numerous as our similarities: in every way that we are the same we are also different. We may each have two eyes, two ears, a nose, and a mouth; but each pair of eyes and ears, each nose and each mouth is individually unique. How we consciously recognize these differences and similarities is primarily linked to our social setting -- though it may secondarily be linked to our genetic makeup. In other words, human beings over the course of their lives become accustomed to the company, appearance, and behavior of those around them; this is such an intuitive fact that it hardly bears mentioning....
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