Experiences as a child are what shape a person’s adulthood. Lack of love and affection during childhood can often affect one’s ability to love others as an adult in intimate relationships. Scientific studies have proven that there is often a direct correlation between people’s past and their ability to pick a significant other based on a person’s connection with their parent/caregiver or lack thereof. These studies show that “depending on how much love, time, and attention your parents gave you, their involvement in your life undoubtedly affect[s] how you show up in your romantic relationships.”(a) –– this is displayed in James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, with David, the narrator’s, constant struggle to accept that Giovanni loves him. David’s
…show more content…
His father was emotionally unavailable due to his wife’s passing and attempted to self-medicate distracting himself with alcohol and women. David’s mother dying when he was so young, would have interrupted his development of “self-esteem, expectations of others, and [his] ability to attract and maintain successful adult relationships”(b). The attachment-bond is a bond between a baby and their primary caretaker which affects the baby’s “social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development”(c). The attachment-bond is the first relationship a human being experiences and sets a foundation for all future relationships; David losing his mother at such a young age indicates that he did not get to experience a long lasting bond and has no knowledge of what a healthy relationship is. The bond between David and his mother only existing for a short period of time means that David was not able to fully develop socially, emotionally, and intellectually. Later on in the novel, David is still looking to experience an attachment-bond. David tries to experience this bond when he convinces himself to propose to Hella saying, “I suppose this was why I asked her to marry me: to give myself something to be moored to”(Baldwin,5). David is not really in love with Hella, but because of his need to have the attachment bond he feels that marrying her will make him feel attached to something that is
His father was emotionally unavailable due to his wife’s passing and attempted to self-medicate distracting himself with alcohol and women. David’s mother dying when he was so young, would have interrupted his development of “self-esteem, expectations of others, and [his] ability to attract and maintain successful adult relationships”(b). The attachment-bond is a bond between a baby and their primary caretaker which affects the baby’s “social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development”(c). The attachment-bond is the first relationship a human being experiences and sets a foundation for all future relationships; David losing his mother at such a young age indicates that he did not get to experience a long lasting bond and has no knowledge of what a healthy relationship is. The bond between David and his mother only existing for a short period of time means that David was not able to fully develop socially, emotionally, and intellectually. Later on in the novel, David is still looking to experience an attachment-bond. David tries to experience this bond when he convinces himself to propose to Hella saying, “I suppose this was why I asked her to marry me: to give myself something to be moored to”(Baldwin,5). David is not really in love with Hella, but because of his need to have the attachment bond he feels that marrying her will make him feel attached to something that is