I met a lot of people in Europe. I also met myself. - James Baldwin Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The writings of James Baldwin are most famous for their complexity of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western societies during 20th-century America. His novels and plays portray personal dilemmas, social pressures that interfere with the integration of black, gay, and bisexual men, and the deep internalized issues of these individuals and their search for acceptance. These characteristics are seen in Baldwin's essay “A Question of Identity” and his novel, Giovanni's Room. In these two texts, the main characters face many identity crises regarding nationality, social status and sexuality. In the 1950s, many aspects of society changed as a result of World War II. During the war, men and women, black and white, played equally important roles. When the war ended, people wanted women and blacks to return to their former positions in society. However, the minorities did not agree and wanted to work and be equal again, as everyone was equally important and necessary on the battlefield. Therefore, for groups discriminated against in the past, World War II was a provocative model for future change. As a result, many social norms have changed. For example, the state created various job opportunities, which were seen as “women's work”. These jobs were available for nurses, midwives, cleaners and office staff. Additionally, during this period, banking, textile, and light industries also expanded and provided women with opportunities in administrative, secretarial, and assembly work. However, jobs were still strictly gender segregated, and routine repetitive work was considered women's work. Baldwin's collection of essays, Notes of a Native Son, tells the reader about the social environment in the United States during the civil rights movement. Through his work, the conditions of being an African American living in a society with racial discrimination are told firsthand. In one of his essays included in the book, “A Question of Identity,” he talks about finding the various ways Americans, in American student groups in Paris, relate to Europeans and their culture. Analyzes soldiers living in Paris and studying at universities under the GI Bill, which was offered to them after the war. Baldwin wonders why some soldiers are able to adapt their lives to France and why others are not. For example, Baldwin states: “This is perhaps the reason why Paris for so long fails to leave a mark on him; and it may also be why, when the tension between the real and the imaginary can no longer be sustained, so many people suffer a kind of breakdown, or take the first boat home” (130). Through this quote, Baldwin states that soldiers face the conflict between reality and fantasy. Some soldiers have a theoretical and ideal conception of Paris, no real knowledge of the history of France or its people, and no understanding of the language. And so, when reality finally hits them, they end up buying tickets to go home. On the other hand, the successful soldier takes the time to study the history and culture of France and may even end up living with a French family. However, this soldier may also encounter problems because the French may also have an ideaof Americans. Overall, Baldwin suggests to the reader that when living in Paris; we should use the “perspective of Europe” to discover “[our] country”. Something similar can be seen happening within the concept of identity in Baldwin's John's Room. The America shown in the book is the one that is contained in the relationship between David and Giovanni. David, for example, sees America as the place of his youth, the place of the people he loves and understands. However, he would never have left America if he had thought that his identity was also not something else, or that it was not entirely limited to his American identity. An example is when Giovanni sheepishly refers to David's nationality, David says, “I resented being called an American (and I resented resenting it) because it didn't seem to make me anything more than that, whatever it was; and I resented not being called an American because it didn't seem to make me anything” (89). Being American is the identity David tries to escape from; however, it is an identity that defines him. However, we all know too well that he can't always run away from his problems, because one day they will all catch up with him. Another major identity crisis in Giovanni's Room is David's struggle with his sexuality. He is gay or bisexual, a fact that terrifies and defines him throughout the novel. He believes he must be attracted to women just because he is a man. However, David is also attracted to men; therefore, he believes he cannot be the ideal and socially accepted man. David makes an effort to have it both ways by keeping his girlfriend, Hella, and her boyfriend, Giovanni; but, in the end, he ends up losing them both. David eventually admits to Hella that his feelings for her are empty and unromantic, which leads her to return to America, and Giovanni is eventually guillotined. David's struggle is shown during his final fight with Giovanni. David says in a moment of anger: What kind of life can we have in this room? – in this dirty little room. What kind of life can two men have together, anyway? All this love you talk about, isn't it just because you want to make yourself feel strong? Do you want to go out and be a hard worker and bring home the money, and do you want me to stay here and wash the dishes and cook the food and clean this miserable closet of a room and kiss you when you walk in the door and lie with you at night and be the your little girl. This is what you want. That's what you mean and that's all you mean when you say you love me. (142) Through this quote, the audience can clearly see David's denial of his sexuality. Because of this, he lashes out at Giovanni and they have a huge argument. David is afraid that if he accepts who he really is, he will lose all his masculinity and will have to fit into gay stereotypes. Furthermore, society despises gay people, so he would face a lot of criticism from outsiders. As a result, he would never be happy with Giovanni, feel free to be himself, or have a successful future. He should always show off just to protect himself and the people he loves. This is further demonstrated when Hella states that “Americans should never come to Europe [because]… they can never be happy again. What good is an American who isn't happy? Happiness was all [they] had (165).” Hella's statement is particularly surprising because Americans believe it is their right "to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Therefore, David values ​​his happiness over two of the most important people in his life. “A Question of Identity” and Giovanni's Room are both powerful texts that describe the challenges facing many second-class citizens, 2016..