Hidden Figures: George Orwell And James Baldwin

In the recently produced film, “Hidden Figures”, three African-American female scientists at NASA (Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson) transcend racial and gender boundaries by playing a vital role in sending astronaut John Glenn into orbit. Throughout the movie, all three women fight the discrimination and prejudice towards them, hoping to gain the equality and respect of their peers and create a sense of political and social change. This idea of fighting for political change is also represented by many famous authors and novelists, especially George Orwell and James Baldwin. While George Orwell and James Baldwin both support political change by addressing the issue of equality, Orwell advocates more for the respect and

dignity of the poor laborer and common man, while Baldwin focuses on eradicating racial barriers and fighting for equal treatment of African Americans. Through an analysis of Baldwin and Orwell’s styles of writing and content, it is clear that while they challenge similar social issues, they have very different political intentions and desired outcomes.
Orwell uses a subtle narrative style when advocating for the respect, dignity and equality of all people, specifically the working class and the convicted.

Orwell encourages the reader to think about these social issues without outright stating his political intentions, leaving the reader with an ability to interpret the moral objective of the story. For example, in “Marrakech”, Orwell states, “All people who work with their hands are partly invisible, and the more important work they do, the less visible they are” (47). Here, Orwell believes that the work that common and poor laborers perform needs to be first acknowledged then appreciated. For most of these laborers, “the reality of life is an endless, back-breaking struggle” (48), but no one notices or cares about the plight of the laborer because they seem to blend into the work being done. Furthering the point, Orwell uses a metaphor to compare a Moroccan donkey to these poor laborers. The Moroccan donkey is similar to the laborer, following “its master like a dog and after years of devoted work, drops dead” (49). However, the donkey’s pain and suffering, “makes one’s blood boil, whereas—on the whole the plight of human beings does not” (50). Here, Orwell criticizes society’s complete disregard for the laborer and makes the reader feel guilty for ignoring their hard work. He believes that society has diminished the value of the laborer to the point where a donkey is more important than a human being. While not

explicitly stated, it is clear that Orwell’s objective in “Marrakech” is to urge society to appreciate the poor laborers and view them with respect and dignity. Similarly, in “A Hanging”, Orwell implores society to regard even the convicted felon with the same respect and dignity. As a spectator of a lynching in Burma, Orwell states, “When I saw the prisoner step aside to avoid the puddle, I saw the mystery, the unspeakable wrongness of cutting a life short when it is in full tide” (25). While the other characters in this story view this man as simply another execution and do not feel sympathy for him, Orwell instead views him as “not dying” for “he was alive just as we were alive” (25). Orwell encourages the reader to feel sympathy for the dying man, proving that everyone deserves to be valued and respected as a human being. Overall, Orwell’s political intent is to advocate for the dignity and equality of all people specifically the working class and the convicted.
Unlike Orwell’s subtle narrative approach, Baldwin utilizes a direct, persuasive approach to show the need for political change, concentrating on eliminating racial oppression and striving for the equal treatment of African Americans. As a black writer, Baldwin wants to portray the “Negro Problem” by being a “good writer and honest man”, which sometimes produces very bold and harsh statements. For example, in “Notes of a Native Son”, Baldwin states that the Negro is a hybrid because when he faces white Americans he feels “fear, terror, and tenderness”, yet he is still “bone of their bone, flesh of their flesh” (125). Here, Baldwin explains that while blacks are physically the same as whites and are just as ‘American’, they still are ostracized and discriminated in society, implying an innate sense of white superiority to black. Baldwin claims in his later essay, “Stranger in the Village”, that this inherent sense of superiority and power comes from “an authority which he shall never have” and thus affirms that “no black man can hope to ever be entirely liberated from this rage, dissembling, and contempt” (169). Here, Baldwin exemplifies his anger at white society for not showing equal treatment to African Americans and believes that this inherent sense of dominance is truly nonsense. Though he wants blacks and whites to live in harmony, he doesn’t see this as a viable option unless a major political change is enacted. Therefore, he advocates for this change in equality and for the elimination of all stereotypes, prejudgment, and discrimination. To further this point, Baldwin wants white society to act more like European society because the Europeans see him “only as an American” (154). In “Equal in Paris”, Baldwin receives a prison statement for stealing a bed sheet from a hotel, but is baffled by the fact that the European officers did not treat him differently because of his race. While in America Baldwin writes that he could “manipulate to his advantage the reactions of the white world” (155), in Europe it was different because they did not hold racial predispositions or prejudice towards him. Baldwin implies that American society needs to act more like European society in order to enact true political change for blacks. Overall, it is clear that Baldwin’s idea of political change involves the equal treatment and removal of racial barriers for African Americans.
While Orwell and Baldwin both support political change by addressing the issue of equality, Orwell advocates more for the respect and dignity of the laborer and common man, while Baldwin focuses on destroying racial barriers and contending for equal treatment of African Americans.

Taking into account both Orwell’s and Baldwin’s writing styles and content, while the both want similar outcomes of equality, respect, and dignity, their desired outcomes are for different groups of people. Orwell’s short story, “Why I Write”, explains the reasoning for this key difference. While Baldwin writes for historical impulse and political purpose, Orwell writes for more for aesthetic enthusiasm and political purpose. Since Baldwin argues that “people are trapped in history and history is trapped in them” (167), all of his short stories concern the tragic history of African Americans including slavery, racial violence, protests, and riots. Baldwin desires to depict this this racial oppression and prejudice in an honest fashion through his writing, in order to push for a political change. Meanwhile, Orwell’s narrative

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