Analysis Of Giovanni s Room By James Baldwin - 1921 Words

As Swami Nirmalananda once said, â€Å"Our modern society is engaged in polishing and decorating the cage in which man is kept imprisoned.† Giovanni’s Room, one of James Baldwin’s novels, has been considered one the most influential novels of the twentieth century. The simple, yet articulated title constructs the most symbolic piece of the whole novel, which clearly accentuates the fact that it mainly revolves around Giovanni’s room being a prison. This horrifying portrayal of the room comes together to develop and create an overall negative atmosphere around homosexuality and how it is perceived by society as something dirty, inhuman, and detrimental. The imagery, combined with metaphors, reveals the obscurity of how sexual identity can be perceived and alternated by society itself, as well as how race, class, sexual orientation, shame, internalized hate and psychological factors can a affect a person. Through Giovanni’s Room Baldwin was able to â €Å"construct literature that psychologically penetrated our minds† (PBS), making a direct reflection on how society has been drawn upon a common thought that homosexuality is wrong and somehow society believes that it can be changed, causing denial, confusion, and self-hatred. Baldwin’s carefully crafted title allows for Giovanni’s room to later be seen as a prison with just four walls and seemingly no way out. Although David, the main character in Baldwin’s novel, seems to be in love with Giovanni, he results to deny hisShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Giovanni s Room By James Baldwin908 Words   |  4 PagesIn Giovanni’s Room, James Baldwin uses conflict between David’s internal conflict and homosexual men, society’s views of homosexuality, and characterization to explain the negative impact of rigid standards and expectations of a male. Throughout Giovanni’s Room, David has two forms of confliction—internal conflict and a confliction with homosexual men—that stems from an environment of an unchallenged status quo—the heterosexual, masculine male. Early into the story David is conflicted with his sexualityRead MoreDiscrimination Against Homosexualsandafrican- Americans1319 Words   |  6 Pagesa homosexual during this time also meant that society would shun and also consider you as a lesser human being. James Baldwin (1924–1987) was an African American writer, novelist, and playwright who also happened to be homosexual. An imperative social context to point out would be the lack of opportunities for the black population along with an accumulation of criticism. James Baldwin attempted to appeal to an array of audiences in slight hope of recognition. The salient themes discussed in a largerRead MoreLiterary And Scholarly Works : Giovanni s Room By James Baldwin2163 Words   |  9 Pageshow the residents of these neighborhoods perceive their identity. This discussion included in this paper will be based on the analysis of literary and scholarly works. For instance, it is possible to refer to such authors as Nella Larsen and Yomme Chang who describe isolated ethnic communities. Furthermore, one can examine the novel Giovanni’s Room written by James Baldwin who examines the reasons why the representatives of the LGBT community can form their own enclaves. Overall, these people canRead MoreAlice Malsenior6001 Words   |  25 Pagesfighting for freedom, increased her dedication to become both a reflective and revolutionary author. Alice Malsenior Walker was born on February 9, 1944, in Eatonton, Georgia, to Willie Lee and Minnie Tallulah Grant-Walker. Like many of Walker s fictional characters, she was the daughter of a sharecropper and the youngest of eight children (Bates, Alice Walker: A Critical Companion). Alice’s father had always taken education very seriously in an era where the schooling of black children, especially