Giovanni's Room

James Baldwin’s representation of his main character David in his novel, Giovanni’s Room reminds me a lot of Henry in the Red Badge of Courage. Both characters, having left their homes, seem to be lost boys struggling to stay afloat in a man’s world. Henry and David experience a sense of inner and outer war in their lives.

David is at war with his self over whom and how he loves. Inflicted with an uncertainty of his outward social sexuality he becomes a cruel character to the people, especially the men he truly loves. This is seen in the way in which he treats Joey after the consummation of their love and relationship. David states, “I picked up with a rougher, older crowd and was very nasty. And the sadder this made him, the nastier I became” (10). He then goes on, ultimately to hurt Giovanni and Hella as well. This nasty outlash that David has on those he loves is a spawn of societal mores. David cannot overcome the shame that he feels as a homosexual man, because it is not socially accepted. As a result he bottles up his shame, no pun intended and turns to alcohol to try and take the edge off of his pain and the feeling of constant war that he feels within his mind and body. This inner conflict makes David a tragic character that readers sympathize with throughout the novel. Readers just want David to be able to be happy and at peace with his self.

All of these feelings, except those homosexual ones, can also be seen in Henry in The Red Badge of Courage. Henry too left home to find his self and become a man. Even though Henry does not want to be in war and struggles with his urge to flee, he stays in the battle because he longs for a badge of courage. This badge however causes him a great deal of physical pain and leaves him lost and confused for a time being. And like David, Henry being in a battle situation loses some of his comrades to death.