Analysis of Baldwins Giovannis Room Essay -- Giovannis Room Baldwin

Baldwin portrays sexual oppression in his novel entitled, Giovannis Room. Sexual oppression is exemplified through exclusive homosexual white men who are unable to find happiness or contentment in themselves or in everydayrelationships. In Baldwins Everybodys stand Novel he w solemnitys, but our benignity is our burden, our life we need not battle for it we need only to do whatis infinitely more difficult-that is, accept it. Giovannis Room is about apieceindividuals need to accept their own humanity and societies need to embrace theuniversal theme of suffering. Baldwin uses the main character David to exemplify an individuals 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 Giovannis Room is that of societiesloneliness. Baldwin portrays this universal suffering among all of his charactersand he uses this suffering as a mea ns of motivation. Loneliness plagues each of thecharacters, regardless of whether or not they take on accepted their humanity. Everyone from David?s father to Jacques to Hella is searching for a love or ameaningful connection in the world. At the beginning of the novel, when we are get-go 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 hisfear of falling outside of societies sexual definitions overpower these feelings andleads him back into the blazonry of loneliness. The narrator reflects on his experienceand Baldwin writes, ?the power and the promise and the mystery of that body mademe suddenly afraid. That bo... ...revents him from ever grasping his true humanity. Baldwin exemplifies his wordsin ?Everybody?s Protest Novel? through this novel by painting a picture of howdifficult it can actually be to accept our own humanity. Baldwin intelligibly states amessage whic h promotes universal understanding in a world of complex individuals. He portrays the reality of human beings common suffering, while campaigning forhumanity to accept and not define individual categorizations. Baldwin uses Davidto show the power of love and human connection in society, along with the negativeeffect socially delineate roles can have on individuals development.Work CitedBaldwin, James. Giovannis Room. New York Random House Inc., 2000. Work ConsultedMengay, Donald H. The Failed Copy Giovannis Room and the (Re)Contextualization of Difference. Genders. No 17, Fall 1993.