Baldwin's story "This Morning, This Evening, So Soon" takes place in Paris, where the narrator, an American expatriate, and his family have lived for twelve years. They are on the verge of returning to the US for the narrator's work, and he is understandably nervous about the transition.
For the narrator, Paris is very special to him because has allowed him to "enter [his] own life." He thinks about how his relationship with his wife, a white Swedish expatriate, would not be possible in America. As the narrator describes it, "if Harriet had been born in America, it would have taken her a long time, perhaps forever, to look upon me as a man like other men; if I had met her in America, I would never be able to look on her as a women like all other women...we would never have been able to love each other. And Paul would never have been born." Besides his relationship, which is considered normal in Paris, the narrator seems to imply that Paris has allowed him to become his own individual. In the US, society attempted to define him solely by his race. This pressure is absent for him in Paris, which allows him to define himself (however, he does acknowledge that France has its own racism).
Later in the story, the narrator recounts on his visit to the US for his mother's funeral. During the ship journey, he begins to feel uneasy, noting that the Americans on board were friendly to him, but it was a friendliness that was "not intended to suggest any possibility of friendship." After tipping a waiter on board, the narrator notices a "flicker of wry sympathy" in the waiter's eyes, and another uniformed crew member refers to him as "boy." As he travels to his Alabama hometown, the narrator has a difficult time hiding his dislike for the cops and white people. He mentions that he tries to say "no sir" or "no ma'am" the 'correct' way, but never succeeds. The narrator, after spending time in Paris and gaining a broader view of the world, seems to pose more of a 'threat' to the white people in Alabama, who find that they are unable to define his place in society anymore.
The narrator eventually returns to Paris, excited to escape from American society. But I think it's important to realize that while he has physically left the US, he can never really 'escape' from America. He was born in America and will always carry his experiences with him. This becomes apparent when the narrator discusses the role of Chico he played in one of his movies. The director of the movie, Vidal, recalls how the narrator could only produce a good performance when he drew upon his rage and frustration that he experienced while living in America.
Paris has also helped the narrator to better understand his upbringing in America and where he came from. His life in Paris offers perspective on how his fellow African-Americans are treated in the US and aids him in understanding his own culture. And generally speaking, looking from the outside in can reveal things that someone might never have noticed if they were inside.
I thought this was a great story overall. I really enjoyed the contrast the author draws between Paris and the US, and how it enabled the narrator to understand his origins. Looking at Baldwin's other stories, setting always seems to play an enormous role.
Later in the story, the narrator recounts on his visit to the US for his mother's funeral. During the ship journey, he begins to feel uneasy, noting that the Americans on board were friendly to him, but it was a friendliness that was "not intended to suggest any possibility of friendship." After tipping a waiter on board, the narrator notices a "flicker of wry sympathy" in the waiter's eyes, and another uniformed crew member refers to him as "boy." As he travels to his Alabama hometown, the narrator has a difficult time hiding his dislike for the cops and white people. He mentions that he tries to say "no sir" or "no ma'am" the 'correct' way, but never succeeds. The narrator, after spending time in Paris and gaining a broader view of the world, seems to pose more of a 'threat' to the white people in Alabama, who find that they are unable to define his place in society anymore.
The narrator eventually returns to Paris, excited to escape from American society. But I think it's important to realize that while he has physically left the US, he can never really 'escape' from America. He was born in America and will always carry his experiences with him. This becomes apparent when the narrator discusses the role of Chico he played in one of his movies. The director of the movie, Vidal, recalls how the narrator could only produce a good performance when he drew upon his rage and frustration that he experienced while living in America.
Paris has also helped the narrator to better understand his upbringing in America and where he came from. His life in Paris offers perspective on how his fellow African-Americans are treated in the US and aids him in understanding his own culture. And generally speaking, looking from the outside in can reveal things that someone might never have noticed if they were inside.
I thought this was a great story overall. I really enjoyed the contrast the author draws between Paris and the US, and how it enabled the narrator to understand his origins. Looking at Baldwin's other stories, setting always seems to play an enormous role.
This is a really good post analyzing the story's setting in Paris! I've noticed that in class, Mr. Mitchell always has us start off discussing the setting and period of each story, as these settings play such an important role in understanding the stories. You've done a thorough job drawing out the deeper insights between America and Paris. I also noticed how the movie character of Chico parallels the narrator himself and his inability to escape from American culture and society.
ReplyDeleteI think it's really interesting how Baldwin uses the narrator to explain what racism is and how it affects everyone involved, which was particularly clear in his description of the narrator's relationship with his wife. He showed the magnitude of the issue by pointing out that, even with these two sympathetic individuals, the dynamics would be much different in the states. I think Baldwin does a good job of showing that the social problems the narrator is about to have to face are much more impactful and far-reaching than interpersonal interaction.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post is really well written and thoroughly explores the significance of each individual setting that we see the narrator in. It was really interesting seeing the different versions of himself that the narrator became depending on where he was and even who he was with. He notes at one point that he despised the fact that his father was also a victim of racial discrimination and that there was nothing he could do about it. The narrator's fear is that he will become that submissive and victimized version of himself when they move back to America and does not wish for Paul to see him in such a light.
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis of a great story. Paris provides the narrator with so many opportunities that would've been unthinkable in America. He seems to have fallen in love with Paris and the fact that there, he's just a "man", not a "black man". The people around him aren't always keeping one eye on him, and he doesn't have to keep one eye on the world around him. I think in his return to America, he's going to have a difficult time readjusting to the level of racism and integrating back into black culture. More than that, his son is going to have to learn a hate and prejudice that he has never seen, which is terrifying to think of, both for the narrator and the reader.
ReplyDeleteThis was one of my favorite stories that we've read so far! I really enjoyed the sharp contrast between America and Paris for the narrator, but especially how it relates to his son. He speaks on this a lot when faced with the idea of going back to the US. His son has never known the racism he was so strongly faced with in America and is justifiably worried by the move. Perhaps growing up in Paris but living in America will give Paul some greater outsider's perspective as well.
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