NOTE: These are my questions for the week of April 14th.
1. What are the implications of Baldwin writing from a white first person perspective during his time, and in context to the novel?
2. Baldwin writes, “Joey’s body was born, was sweaty, the most beautiful creation I had ever seen till then.” To the reader it can seem as white exoticism, but Baldwin continues to write, “I would have touched him… but something stopped me… perhaps it was because he looked so innocent lying there… he was so much smaller than me; my own body suddenly seemed gross and crushing and the desire which was rising in me seemed monstrous,” (9). What does this relation say about the Baldwin’s white/black dynamic historically, politically, and sexually.
3. On page 34 Giovanni says that American’s believe to much in the constraints of time, rather than the beauty of pain, death, and love (the essence of life). “Time is just common, it’s like water for a fish. Everybody’s in this water, nobody gets out of it, or if he does the same thing happens to him that happens to the fish, he dies. And you know what happens in this water, time? The big fish eat the little fish. That’s all. The big fish eat the little fish and the ocean doesn’t care.” What does this symbolize for Giovanni, between the differences of the East and the West?
4. On pg 55 Guillaume tells David that he is lucky he is going through “this” young and not when he is older. What does this signify? Is this instance saying homosexuality’s an experimental phase?
I think that Baldwin chooses to write from a white first person perspective during his time, and in context to the novel because he does not want to expose his identity, his vulnerability, when he may face castigation from the African American community. Homosexuality in the African American community is a stigma, especially during his time. It was almost unheard of to be openly gay in the 1950s. All of his close friends and colleagues knew that Baldwin was gay, but it was not evident to the rest of the world. It is one thing to be subjected to the judgment of one’s friends, and it is another thing to endure the ridicule of the world. Had the novel been written from a black first person perspective, Baldwin would have to implicate himself or own up to his sexual orientation. I believe Baldwin posits all of cares and concerns into a body that has been historically and culturally free from judgment or ridicule. I also believe that Baldwin does that on purpose because he would not have done the novel justice had it written from an African American perspective. The internal issue, at least in the first half of the novel, that the narrator is wrestling with is being at peace or honest with himself. He is not ready for that.
ReplyDeleteRegarding question 4, I think that when Jacques tells David that he is lucky that this is happening to him now, rather than at forty, he is commenting on the transience not of homosexuality, but rather of homosexual love. David and Giovanni are contemptuous of Jacques and Guillaume because they are considerably older and past their primes. The two youths are at a point in their lives during which they can arouse the desires and consequently inspire the patronage of the very men they secretly (or perhaps not so secretly) despise. This first meeting with Giovanni is effectively David's coming out party. Although he may be still in denial, for all the older queens in the bar, the question has been answered, the matter has been settled. Had David arrived at this point 15 years later, in this market he would be as a fruit that has been allowed to wither on the vine, with no marketable value.
ReplyDeleteIn response to question 3, I think it's very interesting that Giovanni and David flirtatiously argue about the idea of Time in the East vs. the West. Giovanni (the East), seems to advocate the cyclical nature of time and is skeptical of David's (the West) point of view that distance can change the perception of time, "as though with enough time and all that fearful energy and virtue... everything will be settled, solved, put in its place" (48). This seems to reflect Baldwin's own experience regarding the people in America compared to the people abroad: Americans feel the need to fight against something, as David puts it, "the little fish seem to have gotten together and are nibbling at the body of the whale" (49). But Giovanni's intent was not to describe Americans as little fish that are continuously being eaten by the big fish, he was simply referring to the cyclical nature of time-- that the cycle of big fish eating the small fish is inevitable and it ends with every fish eventually dying. Yet, David's defense of little fish being able to overpower the whale seems to represent the fight that Americans have, always ready to prove something. The differences in their ideas, and perceptions, of Time illustrate the cultural differences in men that Baldwin encountered from his travels, depicted in Giovanni and David.
ReplyDeleteIn response to question no.4, the reason Guillaume advises David of his good fortune in not having to struggle with a homosexual awakening while in middle age highlights the midlife crisis of regret that Guillaume has already been forced to suffer. Guillaume does not imply at all that David's addressing of homosexual urges may be an experimental phase. His remarks to David illuminate a poignant longing for a special, exhilarating kind of love that is captured only in youth, and can never again be experienced in the same way by anyone in midlife. Guillaume's words to David are truly sad and bare the older man's mourning of an unrequited love as experienced in the tragedy of midlife and exposed by the deep lamentations of the heart. The conversation between Guillaume and David could have taken place between any father and son, mother and daughter, heterosexual or homosexual. The loss of love spoken about here comes with the ravages of time and is a universal condition.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to question 4and relating to Jennie's response, I think what Guillaume tells David is that it is better to be clear about who you are now rather than later on in life, so that you won't have any regrets. David can make peace with himself earlier in life, and not grow old angry at himself or at the world. David has more time to experiment with his identity since he is young, as opposed to an older person
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Jennie when she states that Guillaume conversation with David could have occurred between any pair (father and son, etc.). Expanding on this idea we can state that this becomes, not just homosexuality, but about identity and the need to label. I think Baldwin uses a different "otherness" or "queer" dichotomy (instead of black or white, it's homosexual or heterosexual) to point out that the main issue is self-identification and its relationship to social identities. A this point in the narrative the old meets the new; Guillaume is the older version of man tha represents the patriarchal ideals that a man is a man. David, on the other hand, represent the new upcoming changes to the strongly established ideals that the reader can only imagine Guillaume had to deal with atbhis younger age. Davis seems to represent this change and it's importance, which is the ability to self-identify instead of being identified as something.
ReplyDeleteIn response to question 2, it seems to me that Baldwin is commenting directly on the impact of his identity as a Black man within a culture that has repeatedly perpetuated this feeling of "Otherness" in the sense of being ashamed of understanding who, you are as an individual in context of living in a society that was born into a cesspit by perpetuating lies and committing atrocities in the name of colonialism. For me, Baldwin’s description of Joey’s body symbolizes that personal awakening that he has in terms of his relation to his position in the U.S. as a Black man. This feeling of shame that he feels for himself serves to function as a commentary on the negative wrong doings of those who have control of mass gateways within society.
ReplyDeleteIn regard for question 4, I agree very much with Jonathan's response. To add to it, I think Baldwin, is really addressing the inner conflicts that homosexual men have before they know and accept their sexuality. Guillaume advises David, because he like most of the bar already know the status of David's sexuality and already see the problems ahead for David. I feel that warnings and advise were issued out in different forms, like the zombie trans-gender figure(39-40) that scares David while warning him of the pain and fire he will burn in as he looks on to Giovanni. But, back to Guillaume, his main point, is that David is young and has the time to figure it out and a person to figure it out with. I didn't read it as Guillaume suggesting homosexuality was an experimental phase, but more of a phase of maturity.
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