Hunger

Wright is physically hungry for food. When his father left his family, there was no food for Wright's family to eat until his mother got a job as a cook for a white family. Even then he was not given enough food to satisfy him. He was allowed to go to work with his mother and was allowed the have scraps if there were any. Also, he didn't understand why he couldn't have the food his mother was cooking and that bothered him. Wright's hunger often consumes his thoughts, and he associated hunger with his father which caused a dislike, among other factors, towards him. Wright is hungry for other things not physical. Based on his behaviors, such as lighting the house on fire or hanging around bars, he needs to be occupied. He is often bored and it seems like he wants attention, someone to care for him, or somewhere where he belongs. He doesn't seem content which is apparent from his impulse or risky behaviors early on to the way he feels when lived at the orphanage.