Microaggressions In Giovanni's Room

Microaggressions are depicted in the novels Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs and Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin as a way to showcase the prejudice of the eras during which the novels take place. Jacobs’ novel is set during the slave trade, while Baldwin’s takes place during the 1950s, two eras notable for their bigotry against anyone who did not fit societal norms, that usually being white, heterosexual, and able-bodied. Although the novels look at various types of prejudice in these societies, Giovanni’s Room in particular discusses what it is like to be lgbt in a time when anything other than heterosexual was not accepted, the microaggressions are mainly depicted as being about race. As both authors are black themselves

Guillaime does not own Giovanni by law as Dr. Flint does Linda, however due to Giovanni’s immigrant status and the fact that he does not have much money, he is figuratively under the control of Guillaume, who allows him to work at his bar. Guillaume is considered to be at the top of the social hierarchy as a white, rich, male, however, unlike Dr. Flint, Guillaume is homosexual, something that he hides from society. The only people who know about his sexuality are those that are similarly homosexual, including Giovanni. As most of the French society are not aware of Guillaumes sexuality, however, he is still considered as being at the top of the hierarchy and treated as such. Due to this, Guillaume too is able to use sexual microaggressions as a way to control his target, Giovanni. Giovanni himself describes Guillaume as, “Having more hands than an octopus, and no dignity.” (Baldwin 1956:54) According to Lorelai Cederstrom, “Baldwin examines the sexual roles which are forced upon Black (in this case, Italian) and white as a result of their social conditioning.” (Cederstrom 1984:176) In both Baldwin and Jacobs’ novels, the microaggressions towards Giovanni and Linda come from the fact that due to their race and nationality, they are treated as second class

Baldwin and Jacobs achieve this in two ways, firstly by critiquing those on the top of the social hierarchy, that being white, straight (or straight passing) men, such as in the case of Dr. Flint and Guillaume. Both of these men are portrayed as using unwanted sexual advances as a way to control those that they see as being below them, notably, those with darker skin. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, by critiquing those who simply follow these people in power, believing the lies and disinformation that is spread without challenging what is being said. In the novels these people are portrayed by the French people in Giovanni’s Room, who believe that Giovanni is guilty simply due to the colour of his skin and the fact that the crime was committed against an important, white man, and the Northern women whom Jacobs speaks directly to in her narration of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Similarly, the white people of the South, who may not own slaves as Dr. Flint does but still benefit from racism and view black people as less than white people, such as Mr Sands and Mrs Flint. The authors use their novels as a way to showcase the harmfulness of ignorance when it comes to prejudice. Jacobs in particular spends much of her novel speaking directly to her readers, the Northern women, pleading with them to understand