Baldwin Notes of a Native Son Analysis Essay

Notes of a Native Son is a first person narrative about James Baldwin who lived with his family in Harlem during a difficult eon for the check rights movement in America. Racism with Baldwins experience shows its potential to feed off of itself in a vicious cycle, with unmatchable persons hate leading to mortal elses. He has first hand experience with this through his mother, a earth who, while considered dethaw, felt the pressures of racism throughout his life. The hate Baldwins suffer had towards white people was a reflection of the current state of equal rights in the coun castigate. Baldwin fin in ally understands his founding fixs feelings when he moves to New tee shirt and sees racism for himself. He eventually comes full circle to realize the full-strength problem with racism, just he is too late to reconcile with his puzzle. The falsehood begins with a nineteen-year-old James Baldwin at his fathers funeral. Looking rearwards on the time he spent with his fath er, Baldwin realizes that he very seldom spoke to his father and had almost no relationship with him. Baldwin credits this partially to the fact that two him and his father were stubborn and prideful, but also maintains his father could be chilling in the pulpit and indescribably cruel in his personal life and he was certainly the most bitter gay I have ever met yet it must be say that there was something else to him, buried in him, which lent him his tremendous power and, even, a rather crushing charm (Baldwin 588).This bitterness is a natural answer to the racial tensions during Baldwins fathers life. Baldwin remembers his father as an ferocious man who distrusted all white people because he was among the first generations of chuck up the sponge men and, during his time, racism was very prevalent in the United States. His father had been ill a long time and ended up expiry of tuberculosis. However, he was also sick with paranoia this disease of his mind allowed the disease of his soundbox to destroy him (Baldwin 590). Baldwin actually comments that throughout his whole life, he never remembers a time where any of his brothers or sisters was actually happy to see their father. His father always warned his small fryren not to trust white people, and often warned that some of them may be nice from time to time, but that none of them were to be trusted. However, as an innocent child, Baldwin wanted to believe that white people were not all inherently evil like his father said. This hope was embodied by one of Baldwins teachers who helped him and his family for a time when s father got set(p) off from his job. However as Baldwin growsolder, he begins to see why his father was so bitter toward white people.He moves to New Jersey where he realizes, to his surprise, that even in northern states, to be a negro meant that one was never looked at but was simply at the mercy of the reflexes of the tinge of ones skin caused in other people(592). turn living i n New Jersey, he feels everyone trying to eject him (592) he is fired from his job and re-hired three times in one year. On his last night in New Jersey, he goes to Trenton with a friend for drinks and a movie. When they went to the American Diner they were refused service because the diner didnt serve negroes (593). Soon after, he was refused service again and nearly assaulted a waitress. This represents the moment where he truly understands his fathers anger. He at once feels upset and has a wish too reconcile with his father, but manifestly no longer has the opportunity to do so.Baldwin reminisces on a time when he went to see his father during the distemper, and the last time before he died. He had put off seeing him for so long because he did not want to see his father in the state he was in. He had hated his father for the man he once was but seeing who he had become scarce made Baldwin feel unsound for him. He realizes that he shouldnt have hated his father for how he fel t and wishes he were there to talk to him. Baldwin understands that hatred not lonesome(prenominal) hurts the people being hated, it also destroys the man who hates, and real change provide only happen if we can separate ourselves from this hate on both sides.Baldwin sees many different sides of racism throughout his life from a child who disagrees with his fathers hatred of white people, to an adult that also caught the illness that his father had. These experiences eventually bring him to the realization of the underlying problem of racism. Baldwin sees the malady that the country suffers from does not stem solely from one side spread hate, but from both sides equally making it that way. Although whites spread racism and hate, blacks responded in a similar fashion, which only made the situation worse. When one convention hates another, that hatred not only hurts the victims, but also destroys those who hate. Hatred, which could destroy so much, never failed to destroy the man who hated and this was an immutable law (603). The only hope to abolish racism and the hatred that comes along with it is for both sides to try and understand each other to overcome the hate. I agree with Baldwin when hesays, it now had been laid to my charge to keep my own heart free of hatred and despair (604). It is up to us to separate ourselves from the hate so all can understand and improve the lives of others instead of destroying them.