Reading Notes W14: Notes of a Native Son
James Baldwin was an African American novelist who felt considerably alienated both from black culture and from white liberal society (735).
Baldwin describes his foundation by sharing the woes of a cruel, miserable, and ill stepfather. Yet, after moving away from home he was made aware of what caused his stepfather’s embittered disposition. “… I had had time to become aware of the meaning of all my father’s bitter warnings, had discovered the secret of his proudly pursed lips and rig carriage: I had discovered the weight of white people in the world.”
Baldwin seems to be struggling with his identity. He wanted to be a writer, yet his dad wanted him to be a preacher: “My father asked ne abruptly, you’d rather write than preach, wouldn’t you?” His answer was yes. It seems that he only preached because of his father’s influence.
His father also did not want him to have any association with whites, yet he did not agree with his father and continued to easily befriend whites.
After moving to New Jersey, it seems that Baldwin started to struggle with the man he thought he was. A man different from his stepfather, however after realizing that he could consider murdering a white person made him question who he was after enduring the cruel discrimination against blacks: “ … I could not get over two facts, both equally difficult for the imagination to grasp, and one was that I could have been murdered. But the other was that I had been ready to commit murder” (743).
Baldwin describes his foundation by sharing the woes of a cruel, miserable, and ill stepfather. Yet, after moving away from home he was made aware of what caused his stepfather’s embittered disposition. “… I had had time to become aware of the meaning of all my father’s bitter warnings, had discovered the secret of his proudly pursed lips and rig carriage: I had discovered the weight of white people in the world.”
Baldwin seems to be struggling with his identity. He wanted to be a writer, yet his dad wanted him to be a preacher: “My father asked ne abruptly, you’d rather write than preach, wouldn’t you?” His answer was yes. It seems that he only preached because of his father’s influence.
His father also did not want him to have any association with whites, yet he did not agree with his father and continued to easily befriend whites.
After moving to New Jersey, it seems that Baldwin started to struggle with the man he thought he was. A man different from his stepfather, however after realizing that he could consider murdering a white person made him question who he was after enduring the cruel discrimination against blacks: “ … I could not get over two facts, both equally difficult for the imagination to grasp, and one was that I could have been murdered. But the other was that I had been ready to commit murder” (743).
He realized that the hatred that was laying dormant inside
of him could one day cause him to behave like his stepdad. His dad’s death/funeral
and his sisters birth were a pivotal point for Baldwin to decide what type of
man he wanted to be. If he would forgive and find away to release the anger. As
he now understand what caused his dad to be the way he was.
Your reading notes on James Baldwin is awesome! I am doing my final project on this story so your notes are really great to read! It gives me more to think about and another perspective about Baldwin and the story! (Thank you!)
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