Identity through the framework of race and nationality
Identity is defined as the sense of self, providing sameness and continuity in personality over time. The concept of identity is essential in developing one’s characteristics, morals and actions. Identity can be formed by the experiences one has and the interactions one has with others. Living in a multicultural and globally connected world, race and nationalism are two facets of identity that are often used. As a society, we are often proud of where we come from, of our roots and our heritage. But at the time, the same classifications of race and nationalism can also divide us apart. These facets often carve the way we think about ourselves and how we perceive the way we fit into the world …show more content…
He does not know where he belongs and this perpetuated by the fact that his whiteness gives him a box of the ideals to follow about his sexuality. There is a certain pride that comes with his race and this concept of pride and shame is seen through his interaction with Joey. After spending the night with Joey, David recalls this scene: “Joey’s body was brown, was sweaty, the most beautiful creation I had seen until then. I would’ve touched him to wake him but something stopped me. I was suddenly afraid” (Baldwin 8). Through this recollection of events, it can be explicitly seen that David is flooded not only with fear, but with guilt and this is directly linked to Joey’s skin color. Abur- Rahman expands on this argument when she states, “It is Joey’s brownness then - his race being raced - that is both pollutant and contagion to David…” (481). The first thing David states in this scene is the color of Joey’s scene. Abur-Rahman defends this claim by stating that: “...interracial love is more socially deplored, and, thus, the more threatening to David’s white identity. This greater threat is evident in David’s registering Joey’s racial difference before he notices their anatomical male sameness” (481). This analysis only further demonstrates that David’s race clashes with the identity that he is drawn towards. He …show more content…
The ideals that he was raised with as a child are seen to affect his thought process. The culture and customs of land he called home deeply affects the way he thinks not only about himself, but also what he thinks about other people. David’s sense of nationality is directly related to his views on American ideals. He sees America as this land of opportunity and a place where the American dream can be fulfilled. However, since he sees the American dream being accomplished only by following a cookie cutter format he therefore feels forced into the ideas of a traditional American family. He feels societally forced to follow hetero-normative ways of living. Professor Valerie Rohy, in her essay, titled “Displacing Desire: Passing, Nostalgia, and Giovanni’s Room” published in 1996 in Passing and the Fictions of Identity, addresses this topic of nationality playing a role in forming identity. Rohy explains this sentiment when she says “the white, heterosexual, bourgeois home as icon of a mythical and sentimentalized gamble whose “values” reflect those of the dominant culture” (218). This can be explicitly seen through his interactions with Hella. Even though, he is not fully committed to her or their relationship, he constantly uses Hella as a backup to keep true to what he believes is idealistic according to American ideals. Near the end of the novel, during his
Identity is defined as the sense of self, providing sameness and continuity in personality over time. The concept of identity is essential in developing one’s characteristics, morals and actions. Identity can be formed by the experiences one has and the interactions one has with others. Living in a multicultural and globally connected world, race and nationalism are two facets of identity that are often used. As a society, we are often proud of where we come from, of our roots and our heritage. But at the time, the same classifications of race and nationalism can also divide us apart. These facets often carve the way we think about ourselves and how we perceive the way we fit into the world …show more content…
He does not know where he belongs and this perpetuated by the fact that his whiteness gives him a box of the ideals to follow about his sexuality. There is a certain pride that comes with his race and this concept of pride and shame is seen through his interaction with Joey. After spending the night with Joey, David recalls this scene: “Joey’s body was brown, was sweaty, the most beautiful creation I had seen until then. I would’ve touched him to wake him but something stopped me. I was suddenly afraid” (Baldwin 8). Through this recollection of events, it can be explicitly seen that David is flooded not only with fear, but with guilt and this is directly linked to Joey’s skin color. Abur- Rahman expands on this argument when she states, “It is Joey’s brownness then - his race being raced - that is both pollutant and contagion to David…” (481). The first thing David states in this scene is the color of Joey’s scene. Abur-Rahman defends this claim by stating that: “...interracial love is more socially deplored, and, thus, the more threatening to David’s white identity. This greater threat is evident in David’s registering Joey’s racial difference before he notices their anatomical male sameness” (481). This analysis only further demonstrates that David’s race clashes with the identity that he is drawn towards. He …show more content…
The ideals that he was raised with as a child are seen to affect his thought process. The culture and customs of land he called home deeply affects the way he thinks not only about himself, but also what he thinks about other people. David’s sense of nationality is directly related to his views on American ideals. He sees America as this land of opportunity and a place where the American dream can be fulfilled. However, since he sees the American dream being accomplished only by following a cookie cutter format he therefore feels forced into the ideas of a traditional American family. He feels societally forced to follow hetero-normative ways of living. Professor Valerie Rohy, in her essay, titled “Displacing Desire: Passing, Nostalgia, and Giovanni’s Room” published in 1996 in Passing and the Fictions of Identity, addresses this topic of nationality playing a role in forming identity. Rohy explains this sentiment when she says “the white, heterosexual, bourgeois home as icon of a mythical and sentimentalized gamble whose “values” reflect those of the dominant culture” (218). This can be explicitly seen through his interactions with Hella. Even though, he is not fully committed to her or their relationship, he constantly uses Hella as a backup to keep true to what he believes is idealistic according to American ideals. Near the end of the novel, during his