Analysis of Baldwin's Giovanni's Room

Baldwin portrays sexual oppression in his novel entitled, Giovanni's Room. Sexual oppression is exemplified through individual homosexual white men who are unable to find happiness or contentment in themselves or in everyday

relationships. In Baldwin's 'Everybody's Protest Novel' he writes, 'but our

humanity is our burden, our life; we need not battle for it; we need only to do what

is infinitely more difficult-that is, accept it.' Giovanni's Room is about each

individual's need to accept their own humanity and societies need to embrace the

universal theme of suffering. Baldwin uses the main character David to exemplify an individual's struggle to accept himself, unfortunately his rite of passage is thwarted by his inability to accept his humanity in a world of socially ascribed sexual categories.

One of the main themes expressed in Giovanni's Room is that of societies

loneliness. Baldwin portrays this universal suffering among all of his characters

and he uses this suffering as a means of motivation. Loneliness plagues each of the

characters, regardless of whether or not they have accepted their humanity.

Everyone from David?s father to Jacques to Hella is searching for a love or a

meaningful connection in the world. At the beginning of the novel, when we are

first introduced to the narrator, David, we learn about his friendship with Joey.

This relationship provides David with his first sense of joy and contentment, yet his

fear of falling outside of societies sexual definitions overpower these feelings and

leads him back into the arms of loneliness. The narrator reflects on his experience

and Baldwin writes, ?the power and the promise and the mystery of that body made

me suddenly afraid. That bo...

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...revents him from ever grasping his true humanity. Baldwin exemplifies his words

in ?Everybody?s Protest Novel? through this novel by painting a picture of how

difficult it can actually be to accept our own humanity. Baldwin clearly states a

message which promotes universal understanding in a world of complex individuals.

He portrays the reality of human beings common suffering, while campaigning for

humanity to accept and not define individual categorizations. Baldwin uses David

to show the power of love and human connection in society, along with the negative

effect socially defined roles can have on individuals development.

Work Cited

Baldwin, James. Giovanni's Room. New York: Random House Inc., 2000.

Work Consulted

Mengay, Donald H. "The Failed Copy: Giovanni's Room and the (Re)Contextualization of Difference." Genders. No 17, Fall 1993.