My father ran his hand into his pocket and pulled out a nickel.

“Here, Richard,” he said.

“Don’t take it,” my mother said.

“Don’t teach him to be a fool,” my father said. “Here, Richard, take it.”

I looked at my mother, at the strange woman, at my father, then into the fire. I wanted to take the nickel, but I did not want to take it from my father.

“You ought to be ashamed,” my mother said, weeping. “Giving your son a nickel when he’s hungry. If there’s a God, He’ll pay you back.”

“That’s all I got,” my father said, laughing again and returning the nickel to his pocket.

—Black Boy, Richard Wright

What does this anecdote achieve? Check all of the boxes that apply.

It helps the reader share in Wright’s experience.

It explains how parents of the time treated their children.

It shows that Wright’s father did not take his responsibilities as a parent seriously.

It illustrates Wright’s tense relationship with his father.

It explains Wright’s attitude toward white society.