James Baldwin's Essay Stranger In The Village

James Baldwins “Stranger in the Village” is an essay that accounts for his first visit to Leukerbad, Switzerland in 1951. The virtually unknown village (which was called Loèche-Les-Bains), was lodged deep within the mountains but occupied by many physically disabled individuals (whom Baldwin referred to as “cripples”), who looked to hot spring water for healing (Newyorker). They all felt that bathing in the water would heal them. James Baldwin was very popular throughout the village, so his whereabouts were not inaccessible, to say the least. He stayed in a chattel with his friend (later deemed an intimate partner), Lucien Happersberger’s, family. However, Baldwin still felt like a “stranger” despite his familial ties. Further, his estrangement

was emphasized by the children’s shouting of “Neger! Neger!” as he roamed the streets (Bookbuilder, pp.7). Locals would stop, stare, point and touch his hair upon first sight. They would also rub his skin to see if his color would rub off and disappear (Litcharts). In response to such attention, Baldwin stated, “In all of this, in which it must be conceded that there was the charm of genuine wonder and in which there was certainly no element of intentional unkindness, there was yet no suggestion that I was human: I was simply a living wonder” (Bookbuilder, pp.7). Despite Baldwin’s forced smile and seeming indifference to the situation, the truth was that he was bothered by the attention. He felt out of place as if he didn’t belong, or worst, that the villagers failed to realize that he too was human. But Baldwin knew that the villagers didn’t mean anything by their gestures. The significance of central theme of not belonging due to European “innocence” is beyond problematic because it has created a false reality of American Culture, it has provided an unachievable sense of power which fosters ignorance and naivety towards non-whites, and it has led to the oppression, inferiority, and terrorization of African Americans that still exists today.
Various occurrences throughout Baldwin’s essay convey the ignorance from the village natives that he faced upon his arrival to Switzerland. They also validated his sense of not belonging and merely existing. But perhaps, amongst the most offensive happenings occurred at the annual, Lent carnival. It was during the recollection of such exposure that Baldwin reminds his audience that “To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time” (Blay). Reason being, during the Lent carnival, two children would have their faces “blackened out” to solicit donations to buy Africans. And on one occasion, one of the locals happily (yet naively), explained to Baldwin that the funds of the current and previous years had allowed the village to purchase between 6-8 Africans (Bookbuild, pp.8). And once the Africans were purchased, they were then converted to Catholicism; Catholicism was the predominant religion throughout the village. The villagers’ ignorance of Baldwin’s connection with the African community substantiated an additional theme of Blacks not being viewed as human, rather they were a property that could be bought. So, such a realization is what enlightened Baldwin to his ultimate realization about the European missionaries, and the effects of European imperialism when compared to the American culture.
Due to European imperialism, Swiss villagers were afforded acceptance everywhere they went. They could not be “from the point of view of power, strangers anywhere in the world; they have made the modern world, in effect, even if they do not know it” (Bookbuild, pp. 10). Baldwin emphasized the distinct differences between American and European history. He dwelled upon the fact that one of the most distinct differences between the two involved the existence of African Americans. While American history recognizes the emergence of African Americans, European history does not even acknowledge their existence. Baldwin further explained how Black people were forced to endure a sense of inferiority and rage amid unfortunate happenings, while the whites were engulfed in privilege and naivety. They were free to remain ignorant of the circumstances of anyone or anything outside of their race without scrutiny or punishment. Whites also maintained the concept of Blacks being “savages” that were not suitable to be integrated into society and therefore were irredeemable (Litcharts).
However, towards the ending of the essay, Baldwin claims that Blacks have just as much connection to Western culture as the whites. And that the fantasy of European “innocence” that the whites possess would never be feasible in America. Baldwin argued that such misconception could be credited to the fact that “people are trapped in history and history is trapped in them” (Wikipedia). Then, he further elaborated on the concept of how society must learn to coexist with one another to develop future race relations.
The misleading ideas of European “innocence” and its unparalleled similarities to America, has created a false reality of the American culture. Innocence was the term that James Baldwin used to describe his disgust and disappointment in the European characterized way of life. So, Baldwin utilized the term throughout the poem to clearly demonstrate his opinion and stance towards the idea of adapting European social practices towards Negroes in America. Not only did the concept of European “innocence” make him feel like a stranger in the village, but it also made him (and many other Negroes alike), feel like strangers in the world. He stated, “People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster” (Bookbuilder, pp.18). Further claiming that racism and slavery were the results of the white man driving himself insane after he had failed to regain his complete control over the Black man. However, the biggest issue with adapting the above “innocence” is the fact that it goes against the fundamental principles of the American culture.
America is a “melting pot,” meaning that it is filled with diversity and distinct groups from around the world. The fundamentals of American culture are essentially democratic in nature. “The mission for America's cultural production was to appeal to the many, not the few, and to reflect the lives of the general citizenry at large rather than those of elite groups in its midst. In this way, it set standards for others to follow” (encyclopedia). Unlike in European culture, African Americans are very much intertwined in the social and economic aspects of the United States, and their existence is recognized across the country. Such claims may be supported by Baldwin's following statement; “Americans attempt until today to make an abstraction of the Negro, but the very nature of these abstractions reveals the tremendous effects the presence of the Negro has had on the American character” (Bookbuilder, pp.14). Meaning that he recognized that racism was present. But, on the other hand, the presence of racism also served as a clear indicator that African Americans have made milestones of progress towards equality and harmony amongst the white Americans.
Furthermore, through the analysis of James Baldwin’s “Stranger in the village,” one reoccurring theme appears to be made perfectly clear. And it is the reassertion that "This world is white no longer, and it will never be white again" (Bookbuilder, pp.18). The theme of European innocence has provided an unachievable sense of power which fosters ignorance and naivety towards non-whites. And, despite Baldwin’s claim that America was derived from Europe, once America found it impossible to develop its own country without the help and use of slaves, they were forced to recognize the existence of Negroes. Such recognition went against the European system of living. And not only did such adaptation change the racial dynamics within America during that time, it changed the dynamics for the future of race relations as well. “For evidence of this, you needn't look further than the country's native forms of music, art, and dance, its literary and scientific achievements, or, most tellingly, the [previous] occupant of its highest elected office” (Dabkowski). In turn, the development of European innocence in America was then, now and forever made unachievable again, since Black Americans have been recognized as integral members of society. In fact, “the establishment of democracy on the American continent was scarcely as radical a break with the past as was the necessity, which Americans faced, of broadening this concept to include black men” (bookbuilder, pp.15).
Yet, despite the advances made towards the belonging of Negroes, the systematic stripping and erasure of African culture has been and remains prominent in America today. Although the unspeakable, but socially legal practices have been present since the beginning of slavery, they remained prevalent even after its abolishment. Color-based power and privilege have been used as a means of control for the white Americans against Negroes. It was their way of exercising superiority over African Americans. So, the European “innocence” can also be accredited with the oppression, inferiority, and terrorization of African Americans, along with the many other unfavorable happenings that Negroes have been forced to endure. “This idea of not mattering is of particular relevance, given the deep history of literal and figurative erasure of black people. Mattering, socially and politically, is a grand concern; indeed, the centrality of expressiveness and demonstrativity in black culture is directly related to the seeming inconsequence of black life” (Quashie, pp.121).
European innocence did not account for Black lives, so neither did the subsequent adaptors of the culture. Africans were stripped of their identity, then brought to America where they were rebranded as African Americans. However, they were not given the same respect or privileges as the other Americans, but more specifically, the white Americans. To claim that such an inhumane treatment of African Americans could have been avoided is debatable, but the lasting effects of European Imperialism and “innocence” is not.
In closing, James Baldwin’s essay “Stranger in the village” centered around many themes of not belonging, ignorance, and merely just existing.

Unlike the isolation and alienation that he felt in America, the lonesomeness that he felt in Switzerland surpassed it tremendously. Plus, although he was well known in Switzerland, it wasn’t because of his familial ties, rather it was because of his physical features. He was treated as a walking exhibit. And though it would have been easier to blame such humiliation on the locals themselves, he instead opted to show how such events were a direct result of European “innocence.” The misconceptions that white Americans have possessed with regards to the integration of Blacks was essentially deemed impossible by Baldwin. He used his essay to assure whites and Negroes alike that "This world is white no longer, and it will never be white again" (Bookbuilder, pp.18). The concept of adapting European innocence in American has proven to be problematic. Reasons being, it has created a false reality of American Culture, it has provided an unachievable sense of power which fosters ignorance and naivety towards non-whites, and it has led to the ongoing oppression, inferiority, and terrorization of African

Americans.