James Baldwin was born in pre-Civil Rights Era New York City, to the family of a poor preacher; he experienced harsh treatment on all fronts: his father, his schoolmates, the police. At a very young age, he became a preacher himself, but soon was disillusioned by Christianity and its false premises. Soon after, Baldwin began to realize he was gay. As a result of the treatment of homosexuals and African Americans in American society Baldwin left the States for Europe. Baldwin’s early life amounts to a laundry list of rejection and disillusionment with the world. With such a background, it is no surprise that Giovanni’s Room—a book largely based on Baldwin’s experiences as a gay man—reflects the theme of societal rejection.
Just like Baldwin, David—the protagonist and narrator of Giovanni’s Room—grew up a gay man in New York City during the early 20th century, where he was indoctrinated with a certain set of “American” values which would dictate his thoughts on morality throughout the book. After his first homosexual experience, with a boy from Brooklyn named Joey, David begins to bully Joey and starts to behave recklessly by sleeping with as many women as possible and becoming a drunk. Later, upon his first encounter with Giovanni—his primary lover in the story—he describes his inner turmoil thusly: “With everything in me screaming No! yet the sum of me sighed Yes.” The turmoil between David’s homosexual inclinations and the values he has been taught—including those which view gay behavior harshly—are a main thread of Giovanni’s Room.
The main decision of the narrator, even, can be seen as an example of this conflict. This decision—whether to settle for his American fiancee Hella or to listen to his true emotions and maintain his relation with Giovanni—matches David’s American value set (represented by Hella) against his true emotional and sexual desires.
The problem for David, however, is not that he is a homosexual. In fact, by coming out as a gay man, though he may disappoint his (very distant father, David would not change his current situation much: he would maintain his relationship with Giovanni as well as the support of his friends such as Jacques. The only significant change would be the termination of his relationship with Hella. Similarly, by deciding to take his gay relationships as mere experimentation (whether or not it was) and sticking with Hella, little would change. He could probably still continue his friendships with Jacques and Giovanni as well. Instead David’s lack of decisiveness is his downfall. By failing to fully choose between Hella and Giovanni, David maintains his desire for Giovanni while also staying with Hella. This leads to the inevitable: when David expresses his homosexuality through a sailor in Nice, Hella finds out and their relationship ends. Similarly, by not maintaining even a friendship with Giovanni, David likely is the cause of Giovanni’s enraged murder of Guillaume (since if he had retained David in his life, he probably would not have felt so hopeless). As a result of his indecisiveness, David ends up completely alone in Europe.
The relationship between David and Baldwin is very clear. Although David is white and Baldwin black, it is nearly impossible to disconnect these two characters. As a result, Giovanni’s Room reads as a description of Baldwin’s own experiences: The inner turmoil between American values (or even religious values) and his inner homosexuality. The fear of the way others may view him for his behavior (such as when David imagines a sailor to be looking at him judgingly). And most importantly, the inability to be certain whether to be open about his behavior or to hide it as David half-heartedly attempts through his relationship with Hella.
Just like Baldwin, David—the protagonist and narrator of Giovanni’s Room—grew up a gay man in New York City during the early 20th century, where he was indoctrinated with a certain set of “American” values which would dictate his thoughts on morality throughout the book. After his first homosexual experience, with a boy from Brooklyn named Joey, David begins to bully Joey and starts to behave recklessly by sleeping with as many women as possible and becoming a drunk. Later, upon his first encounter with Giovanni—his primary lover in the story—he describes his inner turmoil thusly: “With everything in me screaming No! yet the sum of me sighed Yes.” The turmoil between David’s homosexual inclinations and the values he has been taught—including those which view gay behavior harshly—are a main thread of Giovanni’s Room.
The main decision of the narrator, even, can be seen as an example of this conflict. This decision—whether to settle for his American fiancee Hella or to listen to his true emotions and maintain his relation with Giovanni—matches David’s American value set (represented by Hella) against his true emotional and sexual desires.
The problem for David, however, is not that he is a homosexual. In fact, by coming out as a gay man, though he may disappoint his (very distant father, David would not change his current situation much: he would maintain his relationship with Giovanni as well as the support of his friends such as Jacques. The only significant change would be the termination of his relationship with Hella. Similarly, by deciding to take his gay relationships as mere experimentation (whether or not it was) and sticking with Hella, little would change. He could probably still continue his friendships with Jacques and Giovanni as well. Instead David’s lack of decisiveness is his downfall. By failing to fully choose between Hella and Giovanni, David maintains his desire for Giovanni while also staying with Hella. This leads to the inevitable: when David expresses his homosexuality through a sailor in Nice, Hella finds out and their relationship ends. Similarly, by not maintaining even a friendship with Giovanni, David likely is the cause of Giovanni’s enraged murder of Guillaume (since if he had retained David in his life, he probably would not have felt so hopeless). As a result of his indecisiveness, David ends up completely alone in Europe.
The relationship between David and Baldwin is very clear. Although David is white and Baldwin black, it is nearly impossible to disconnect these two characters. As a result, Giovanni’s Room reads as a description of Baldwin’s own experiences: The inner turmoil between American values (or even religious values) and his inner homosexuality. The fear of the way others may view him for his behavior (such as when David imagines a sailor to be looking at him judgingly). And most importantly, the inability to be certain whether to be open about his behavior or to hide it as David half-heartedly attempts through his relationship with Hella.