"bad boy"?

The question i will be addressing about the novel Black Boy in this post is:

Is Richard a "bad" boy?
When should behavior be blamed on the person and when should it be blamed on the environment?

Personally, i do not think that Richard is a bad boy. His actions are vulgar and upsetting especially for a boy so young I believe that his actions are bad, not Richard himself. Early in the book Richard's father tells him to kill a cat that had interrupted his sleep. Although it was obvious that Richard's father was not being serious, out of anger Richard was feeling towards his father he hangs the cat, killing it quickly (11). He killed the kitten soley as an attack towards his father because he knew that he could not get in trouble because of his fathers instructuons to kill the cat. Richard also shows quite a bit of violence after his mother forces him to face a local gang(17). Later Richard becomes obsessed with a nearby saloon. He is forced to drink (20) and soon becomes addicted to alcohol.

While these actions are clearly not acceptable I think that they happened because of his environment. His parents beat him and never showed much love through a connective relationship. His home is not a happy place for him. In fact, he is more afraid of his parents than he is of his burning down home. When abusive relationships, and hurt is all you know how can you act any differently?

But where does the fault lie? I do not think it is the fault of his family for his actions. One is responsible for what they do no matter what other people do.

Although Richard is constantly acting up though i do not believe this makes hima "bad boy". His heart is searching, and his behavior can always be fixed.