"The Man Who was Almost a Man"

Dave faces "man versus man," "man versus society," and "man versus self" conflicts in the story. There is Dave versus his mother and other characters in the story like his father (Bob) and Jim Hawkins. These conflicts are about telling the truth about what happened to the mule and begging his mother for a gun. These conflicts culminate into the larger conflict of man versus society. The town as a whole thinks children Dave's age should not have a gun because it is dangerous, but Dave thinks differently. He also thinks society is holding him down by paying him little and making him work all day. He view society as not being fair!

Lastly, the story features Dave having a "man versus self" conflict on how he copes with shooting the mule and how he defines what a "man" is. Dave defines a man as someone who is respected and can beat other up if they don't listen - thus the gun. He is so taken by the gun and how it symbolizes his manhood he runs away to pursue it. A man, in reality, can be defined many ways, not by how tough or scary one is.