Harlem By James Baldwin Sparknotes

Baldwin’s overall purpose of this short story was that people should accept who they are and their background. The essay James Baldwin is structured into three different sections that describe how Baldwin grew to understand that he has to embrace who he is and his past. One section of the essay talks about Baldwin as a young boy and his relationship with his father. It also tells about Baldwin’s experiences in New Jersey when he grows a little older. Another section describes the racial tension and riots in Harlem and how Baldwin’s father is ill and dying in the hospital. The third section is about how the riots grow and become more intense. Also, Baldwin is attending his father’s funeral and celebrating his nineteenth birthday. At the beginning of the essay

As a young man Baldwin went to New jersey and experienced segregation for the first time. At a restaurant where he wasn't served because of the color of his skin he exploded with anger. All of his anger that was built up inside of him came out at once and he threw a water pitcher at a waitress. Many people saw him as an “angry black man,” but they didn’t know what it was like to repeatedly be discriminated against. Later on in the story Baldwin’s father becomes deathly ill and is in the hospital. Baldwin does not want to visit his father in the hospital because he doesn’t want to hate him for being the man that he was. More racial tension is occurring in Harlem and there are race riots and a lot of racial tension. After his father’s death Baldwin starts to realize that he has been so mad at the discrimination, but he should channel his anger and control it, unlike his father. The anger that he experienced helped his accept who he is. The day of his father’s funeral was also his birthday. The death of Baldwin’s father was also the death of Baldwin’s anger and hatred. He was reborn and controlled his anger and emotions. On the day of his father’s funeral there were extremely intense and