Why was Wright so hungry?

Well, this question can be answered in both a very literal sense and a metaphorical sense. in a literal sense, Wright was naturally hungry because of his fathers leaving the household. and since his father was the one to bring home the money therefore the food, he no longer has food. his mother consistently worked long hours just to put food on the table, but being a black cook in a white household during that time period does earn much, let alone to feed three children. wright was hungry - always hungry. hungry after his father left, hungry at the orphanage, hungry on the streets. it seems that since the beginning of the book, wright has always been unsatisfied in some way, like there is a part of him that has always been imprisoned due to the response of his surroundings. hiding under the burning house, he just yearns to run away or never be found again terrified of being beaten. he yearns for freedom. once moving into the city, we see that he just yearns to be on the same level as his father, to "show him." he yearns to have all the knowledge of the city. he yearns to run away from the orphanage - he wants freedom, he wants food, he wants to be fulfilled. all of those yearnings i think can just be a parallel to the emptiness in his stomach. The world around him, his surroundings and his environment - has caused him to feel discontentment in his life that he longs to fill. all the while, he is starving.