Is Richard a bad boy?

When Richard accidentally sets his house on fire, I think that he was actually being a bad boy. You might say that he's only four years old, and that he didn't know any better, but Richard's year-younger brother was telling him to stop playing with fire. For example, his brother says, "Don't do that...you'll burn the whole broom" (Wright 4). Richard shows poor judgement by lighting straws from the broom on fire. What's more, Richard holds the flame under the curtains! His own brother who is a year younger is telling him not to and saying, "Naw," and shaking his head (4). If a boy at the age of three has the sense to know not to play with fire, then a boy who is four should certainly know not to play with fire. He also decides to run away without even telling his mom about the fire! He admits being in the wrong, and says, "I had done something wrong, something which I could not hide or deny" (5). There are many things that Richard could have done better in that situation. Though I wouldn't say it was entirely his fault, I still think that he was in the wrong.
I don't think that you can ever blame something entirely a single person, or entirely on their environment. With the exception of infants, and those unable to speak or act of their own will, the individual deserves at least a portion of the blame. When one can think and act for themselves, regardless of the environment, peolple can make whatever decision they choose. In Black Boy, Richard lights the house on fire. It was an accident, and he was only four. Also, his mom wasn't in the room with him, so he was unsupervised. He was restless, bored, and tired of being quiet all day. But Richard's brother was in the same environment and he didn't light the house afire. Richard made the ultimate decision to light the broom on fire, and therefore, he deserves a portion of the blame. I think that in most cases, both the environment and the individual should be blamed.

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