Isaac Newton, an eminent English physicist and mathematician, devised his third law of motion: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In Richard Wright's autobiography Black Boy, a key influence in Richard's life is his grandmother, called Granny throughout the book, who relentlessly tries to convince Richard to embrace God; his attempts, however, are futile with someone as recalcitrant as Richard. In human terms, the interactions between Granny and Richard confirm Newton's third law. When Grandma tries to force Richard to conform to her lifestyle, Richard retaliates and rebels just as vigorously. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Grandma is fervently religious, her lifestyle metaphorically considered a regime: a word that according to the Oxford Dictionary designates "a government, especially authoritarian" Although Grandma is not the only member of the family to try to influence Richard, is noteworthy because it does so incessantly and so formidably. Even though Richard's mother is religious, she pales in comparison to Grandma, who could be considered a religious fanatic. The first example of Grandma's imposition of religion on her family members is when Richard's mother "announced that we would moved, that we would return to West Helena By then she had grown tired of the strict religious routine of Grandma's house" (Wright 59 ). From an early age, Richard is disillusioned with his grandmother's lifestyle; he doesn't like the way she considers Ella's storytelling and books "the devil's stuff" (39) and banishes him from her books, which are his only source of stimulation. He also doesn't like the grandmother's corporal punishment that is often doled out; this is represented when Grandmother, "with all the fury of her sixty-year-old body" (41), beats Richard for thoughtlessly uttering a vulgar phrase. Richard believes that leaving West Helena will free him from Granny, who is a thorn in his side and just one more person who can scold and beat him. But fate didn't want it to be that way. Unfortunately, Richard and his mother find themselves on Granny's doorstep when Richard's mother suffers an untimely stroke and is unable to support herself and her children. Grandma has not yet abandoned her lifestyle and continues to urge Richard to accept God into his life. Richard, however, is indifferent to Grandma's rules and "[shirks] as many weekday services as possible" (111). Richard's blatant contempt for his grandmother's religious routine is shown when he describes his transportation to church: "During the passionate prayers and hymns sung I sat wriggling on a bench, wishing I could grow up so I could escape, listening indifferently to the theme of annihilation cosmic, loving the hymns for their sensual caress but ultimately casting furtive glances at Grandma and wondering when it would be safe for me to lie down on the bench and go to sleep" (112). Richard renounces Granny's mandates when he finds praying "a bother" (120), and begins to write hymns to please Granny to pass the time, but is unable to do so. One day he writes a story and feels extremely accomplished. Richard decides he wants to pursue writing and is thrilled when a local newspaper publishes one of his stories. When the grandmother finds out, she calls Richard's story "the devil's work" (168). Richard is even more encouraged to write and prove his grandmother wrong. Grandmother pressuring Richard to give his life to God also makes Richard more rebellious, and he begins to assert himself instead of challenging.