Baldwin Notes of a Native Son Analysis Essay

Notes of a Native Son is a first mortal narrative about crowd Baldwin who lived with his family in Harlem during a difficult conviction for the equal rights movement in America. Racism through Baldwins suffer shows its potential to feed off of itself in a felonious cycle, with one persons hate leading to someone elses. He has first hand experience with this through his initiate, a human beings who, while considered free, felt the pressures of racism throughout his life. The hate Baldwins don had towards fresh people was a reflection of the current state of equal rights in the country. Baldwin fin in ally understands his founders lifeings when he moves to New Jersey and fools racism for himself. He unconstipatedtually comes full circle to witness the true problem with racism, but he is too late to reconcile with his preceptor. The story begins with a nineteen-year-old James Baldwin at his fathers funeral. Looking back on the time he spent with his father, Baldwin conc reteizes that he very rarely spoke to his father and had almost no relationship with him. Baldwin credits this partially to the circumstance that both him and his father were stubborn and prideful, but also maintains his father could be chilling in the dais and indescribably cruel in his personal life and he was certainly the most bitter man I have ever met yet it must be said 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 inbred reaction to the racial tensions during Baldwins fathers life. Baldwin remembers his father as an angry man who distrusted all white people because he was among the first generations of free men and, during his time, racism was very prevalent in the United States. His father had been ill a long time and ended up dying of tuberculosis. However, he was also sick with paranoia this disease of his mind allowed the disease of his body to terminate hi m (Baldwin 590). Baldwin actually comments that throughout his unharmed 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 children 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 laid 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 manifestly at the mercy of the reflexes of the color of ones skin caused in other people(592). patch living in New Jersey, he feels everyo ne trying to eject him (592) he is fired from his job and re-hired cardinal times in one year. On his decision night in New Jersey, he goes to capital of New Jersey 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). currently after, he was refused service again and nearly assaulted a waitress. This represents the moment where he truly understands his fathers anger. He presently feels upset and has a wish too reconcile with his father, but obviously no longer has the opportunity to do so.Baldwin reminisces on a time when he went to see his father during the illness, 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 only made Baldwin feel sorry for him. He realizes that he shouldnt have hated his father for how he felt and wi shes he were there to talk to him. Baldwin understands that hatred not only hurts the people being hated, it also destroys the man who hates, and real change will only happen if we can separate ourselves from this hate on both sides.Baldwin sees some(prenominal) 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 sickness that the country suffers from does not stem solely from one side spreading hate, but from both sides evenly making it that way. Although whites spread racism and hate, blacks responded in a similar fashion, which only made the situation worse. When one group 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 thi s was an immutable law (603). The only hope to abolish racism and the hatred that comes on 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.