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Guilt In Giovanni's Room By James Baldwin

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Giovanni’s Room
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An American writer by the name of James Baldwin wrote the novel Giovanni’s Room. Baldwin was born on August 2nd of 1924 in New York City, New York. He had been born to a single mother; however, when he was three years old, she married a Baptist minister known as David Baldwin. Baldwin grew up referring to David as his father, and he followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a youth minister while he was a teenager. As a child, Baldwin began to develop a love for reading and later practiced his gift of writing while in high school. There was a school newspaper at DeWitt Clinton High where his career as an author began.
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David concludes, “Jacques’ hands are certainly no bloodier than mine” (pg. 106). His statement suggests that David feels guilty for his actions that he believed led to the misfortune Giovanni was subject to. The narrator admits, “it became a stranger’s face - or it made me so guilty to look on him that I wished it wer a stranger’s face” (pg 318). David continually lies to Giovanni throughout the novel; consequently, his lies begin to create feelings of guilt and shame for his actions. Hella exclaims, “you [David] can shout it to those hills out there, shout it to the peasants, how guilty you are, how you love to be guilty!” (pg. 697) David had cheated on Hella while she was away; when it comes time for David to face the consequences, he feels immense guilt fro the pain he caused to those around him. Throughout the novel, the theme of guilt or shame was highly …show more content…

David admits, “even at my most candid, even when I tried my hardest to give myself to him as he gave himeslf to me, I was holding something back” (pg. 330). His admittance of restraint from fully loving Giovanni not only illustrates his fear of judgement, but also his fear of accepting his sexuality. David acknowledges, “a cavern opened in my mind… I thought I saw my future in that cavern. I was afraid” (pg. 45). This confession of fear occurs after sexual acts occured between David and Joey; additionally, these acts struck fear in the narrator because Western society did not condone homosexuality. David is the leading protagonist in the narrative and his fear of judgement was present throughout Giovanni’s

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