Wright dealing with his mothers paralysis

Wrights initial response to his mother becoming very ill almost near death with paralysis was opposite of his actual personality.  He become very quiet unlike his usual questioning self and stay very reserved.  He did not want to seem dependent on anyone because his mother was sick.  This was probably because then he would be admitting that he was in need of help and it would be accepting the absence of his mother.  Wright had been receiving help from others all his life from food to places to stay, and he never felt guilty for that.  But after his mother was no longer in the equation he suddenly felt that he would become helpless if he accepted gifts of food from friends.  Wright also tried to be forth a conscious effort for the first time in the novel to keep out of trouble.  He knew that if he did anything wrong then his chances of finding a place to stay with his relative would be slim.  Richard changed in the sense that after his mother become ill he become much more responsible and lost most of his childish ways.  he realized that he was on his own and that he had to stop relying on others and start providing for himself, which was something he was not accustomed to at the time.