Rufus Scott is a jazz drummer who begins a relationship with Leona, a Southern white woman, and has a small social circle in which he shares to them about Leona. Their relationship becomes more serious, and Rufus eventually turns “habitually physically abusive” to Leona, causing her to be admitted to a psych ward, resulting in a depressed Rufus who eventually commits suicide (“Another Country (novel)”). His friends and family develop closer relationships, although they are strained throughout the course of the novel. Baldwin’s Another Country explores the complex themes of racism, sexism, and homophobia. Through the friendly and “more-than-friendly” relationships that begin in this novel, these themes are thoroughly explored and expressed.
