In the short story "A Boy I Knew," Baldwin reveals moments from his childhood memories that formed an individual's perception of identity, showing how the most important moments of one's youth are able to be noted throughout a lifetime in forming a perception about the self and others. Our understanding of self and relationship with the world is shaped through our childhood memories. James Baldwin revisits his childhood experiences and relations with a young boy to show the view of innocence and development embedded in early memories, expanding the topic further in his essay "A Boy I Knew." In this respect, Baldwin expresses, "All of us, I suppose, are waiting for a moment in which we can reveal ourselves without fear of being laughed at or