In James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, the protagonist David speaks frequently of America as a dynamic nation unafraid to change fate itself. Yet the actual Americans depicted in Baldwin’s novel express considerable uncertainty, a sharp contrast from David’s professed views. Indeed, Baldwin portrays American hegemony as a self-deceptive myth, contrasting David’s idea of American futurity with Giovanni’s more realistic denouncement of American individualism. The self-deception Baldwin depicts proves ironic: although Americans seem self-assured in their business and political endeavors, their incessant focus on the future obscures their tumultuous feelings towards love. Understanding American self-deception serves another function, however – it
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The shocking event causes Hella and David’s belief in American ideals to evaporate, and instead of dominating their fates, the two lament how fate has dominated them. In one of the novel’s most moving scenes, Hella, despite David’s protests, asks, “What’s the good of an American who isn’t happy? Happiness was all we had” (Baldwin 165). Even though David half-heartedly tries to convince Hella otherwise, both see the superficial connection between American individualism and happiness. Although the two concepts may seem very different, they have a very real connection in American history – most notably through the Declaration of Independence and Jefferson’s famous phrase “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Indeed, the words “in the pursuit of” hint at an individualistic outlook on life – while Jefferson never gives anyone the impossible guarantee of happiness itself, he does pledge that any individual willing to define his own destiny and pursue his own brand of happiness can do so. Hella’s belief in American happiness suggests a similar belief in American individualism. But after “that sordid little gangster […] wrecked your life, […a fact] I’ll never understand,” Hella feels powerless over fate (164). With the myth of American individualism broken, Hella and David realize that little fish never even had the power to choose their own fates – like …show more content…
In fact, evidence of America’s political hegemony (at least within the Western Hemisphere) appears as soon as the novel begins, with David recounting in the novel’s first paragraph how “my ancestors conquered a continent” (Baldwin 3). Combined with victories in conflicts both close to home (such as the Mexican-American War) and around the world (such as World War II), America’s success with Manifest Destiny makes its political hegemony indisputable. Yet by the end of his ordeal in France, David learns how the same ideals of individualism that fuel Manifest Destiny become ruinous for his emotions. Throughout his rocky relationship with Giovanni, David yearns for freedom and the ability to dictate his own life. Although David initially “invent[s] in myself a kind of pleasure in playing the housewife [and cleaning the] fantastic accumulation of trash [present in Giovanni’s room],” he eventually chafes under his perceived shackles, realizing how “men never can be housewives” (88). David’s desire to break his imaginary fetters and “escape [Giovanni’s] room” comes in part from ideals of self-determination, individualism, and self-sufficiency, which are at once American and masculine (77).
The shocking event causes Hella and David’s belief in American ideals to evaporate, and instead of dominating their fates, the two lament how fate has dominated them. In one of the novel’s most moving scenes, Hella, despite David’s protests, asks, “What’s the good of an American who isn’t happy? Happiness was all we had” (Baldwin 165). Even though David half-heartedly tries to convince Hella otherwise, both see the superficial connection between American individualism and happiness. Although the two concepts may seem very different, they have a very real connection in American history – most notably through the Declaration of Independence and Jefferson’s famous phrase “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Indeed, the words “in the pursuit of” hint at an individualistic outlook on life – while Jefferson never gives anyone the impossible guarantee of happiness itself, he does pledge that any individual willing to define his own destiny and pursue his own brand of happiness can do so. Hella’s belief in American happiness suggests a similar belief in American individualism. But after “that sordid little gangster […] wrecked your life, […a fact] I’ll never understand,” Hella feels powerless over fate (164). With the myth of American individualism broken, Hella and David realize that little fish never even had the power to choose their own fates – like …show more content…
In fact, evidence of America’s political hegemony (at least within the Western Hemisphere) appears as soon as the novel begins, with David recounting in the novel’s first paragraph how “my ancestors conquered a continent” (Baldwin 3). Combined with victories in conflicts both close to home (such as the Mexican-American War) and around the world (such as World War II), America’s success with Manifest Destiny makes its political hegemony indisputable. Yet by the end of his ordeal in France, David learns how the same ideals of individualism that fuel Manifest Destiny become ruinous for his emotions. Throughout his rocky relationship with Giovanni, David yearns for freedom and the ability to dictate his own life. Although David initially “invent[s] in myself a kind of pleasure in playing the housewife [and cleaning the] fantastic accumulation of trash [present in Giovanni’s room],” he eventually chafes under his perceived shackles, realizing how “men never can be housewives” (88). David’s desire to break his imaginary fetters and “escape [Giovanni’s] room” comes in part from ideals of self-determination, individualism, and self-sufficiency, which are at once American and masculine (77).