Baldwin's Fire Next Time

Baldwin's Fire Next Time

We always say "Love conquers all" is commonly said and heard in our

daily lives. Ironically, this is necessarily not true as James Baldwin

views our society. He illustrates the stereotypes of both Blacks and

Whites. In his argumentative autobiography, The Fire Next Time, the

author brilliantly perceives the idea that love, instead of fear, liberates

society. To truly "liberate" society, one must discover his/her

individual and personal identity by learning to love.

Baldwin describes "fear" to be ignorance, and "love" as knowledge.

He joined the congressional church due to fear. He was afraid to become

involved with his friends who began to drink and smoke. To avoid such

situations, Baldwin was driven into the church because he "supposed that

God and safety were synonymous." (16) Timidity blinded him to believe

that following God's words shielded him from the evils of society. However,

because of Baldwin's love for his church, he reads the Bible, only to

realize that was strictly about the teachings of White people. He thought

that going to the church will protect him, and shield him against what he

feared. Instead of freeing the community from discrimination between

Blacks and Whites, the Bible supported the existence of racial barriers by

teaching one should behave. Realizing the hypprocarcy involved with

Christianity, the author broke away from the congressional church, to

search his own way of liberating the society.

Baldwin emphasizes that liberation is love, and "love is more

important than color." (71) The author states that fear creates the need

for power. The Nation of Islam was fearful of the Whites dominating over

the Blacks. Fear always dominated the minds of black people. This fear

caused Elijah to strive for power to liberate the community. The Nation

of Islam wanted absolute control of the White society. Baldwin was given

the opportunity to become an influential figure in the Nation of Islam

movement, he rejected Elijah Muhammed's offer. He was totally against the

belief that the movement held.

Baldwin says, "love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live

without and we know we cannot live within." (95) Whites cannot love

because they fear "to be judged by those who are not white.". Because

Blacks are stereotyped to be "uncivilized", whites have the "private fears

to be projected onto the Negro." (96) Fear only promotes further racism,

and the labyrinth of attitudes. He states that the problem with racial

oppression will never be resolved unless the white man gives up his power.

Baldwin states that "mirrors can only lie," because they only

reflect the surface of people instead of revealing the deep truth.