by Peter Bruck
Those wh o watc h hi m ar e aware o f thi s change in him :
'I just d o declare,' Gran'mon says . 'I must b e dreaming. He is a man after
all.'(71)
'Never thought that was in Eddie,' somebody says real low.
'You not the only one,' somebody else says. (72)
If th e fathe r i s presente d a s a perso n wh o i s emotionall y stil l a
child an d the n throug h th e event s of th e stor y achieve s a new kin d
of manhood , hi s son resemble s him i n many respects , the basi c dif -
165
ference being , o f course , tha t h e is a chil d wherea s hi s father act s
like one . Sonn y literall y shut s hi s eye s i n fron t o f a painfu l an d
humiliating situation; 4 hi s father doe s this in a metaphorical sense .
Also th e en d o f th e stor y show s a paralle l developmen t i n both .
The boy , too , has "grown up " and foun d a new strengt h t o maste r
his problems, and a new self-confidenc e throug h hi s father :
... I kno w m y lesson . I ain't go' n wee-we e o n myself no more. Daddy's
going t o schoo l wit h m e tomorrow . I' m go' n sho w him I can beat Billy
Joe Martin .... (79)
Still, Sonny ha s to awai t his initiation . In his dreams he experiences
this ne w confidence , bu t realit y migh t stil l prov e painful . Th e
scenes tha t sho w hi m wit h hi s peer s exemplif y ho w vulnerable h e
is. H e trie s t o wi n th e attentio n an d sympath y o f hi s littl e girl -
friend Lucy , an d i s deepl y hur t whe n sh e despise s hi m fo r hi s
failure i n class . H e i s so fascinated b y th e youthfu l lover s Bil l an d
Juanita tha t h e include s the m i n hi s praye r tha t night . Thei r
happiness i s wha t h e himsel f look s forwar d t o - a romati c lover ,
still lacking his father's experienc e wit h love and it s ordeals.
"A Lon g Da y i n November " exemplifie s severa l characteristics ,
thematic an d stylistic , o f Gaines ' fiction . Lik e Faulkne r a nativ e
Southerner, hi s novel s an d storie s al l dea l wit h Southerners , th e
environment i n whic h the y liv e an d th e change s the y undergo .
The familia r clipped , journalistic style he derive s from Hemingwa y
is mos t obviou s an d a t time s les s functiona l i n th e author's earlie r
novels tha n i n hi s late r work , includin g Bloodline. Gaine s himsel f
looks upon th e antholog y a s his personal an d publi c breakthrough :
I alway s kne w m y storie s wer e bette r tha n anythin g els e I had written.
(...) And they have been successful.5
His fiv e lon g storie s i n Bloodline appea r i n a n orde r whic h signal -
izes a chronologica l an d themati c development : th e narrato r o f
"A Lon g Day" is six years old; the secon d stor y i s told b y th e tim e
the centra l characte r i s eight , an d i n th e followin g storie s h e i s a
young man . Th e proces s o f growin g u p i s illustrate d b y a n expan -
sion both o f th e are a in whic h th e character s move an d of the range
of topics they ar e concerned with .
166
The onl y boo k tha t Gaines published after Bloodline, s o far, his
novel The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, ha s been enthu -
siastically receive d b y America n critic s becaus e i n i t th e autho r
displays a maturit y i n selectin g his themes an d technique s whic h
makes i t superio r t o th e othe r novels . I n thi s boo k th e centra l
figure, Jane Pittman , a 110-year-ol d negr o woman , tells the stor y
of he r life . A s in al l of Gaines' fiction, the clash between differen t
generations i s a n importan t theme . The narrator her e i s a simple
old woman . But sh e has lived throug h th e fat e o f blac k people in
the post-bellum Sout h for more than one generation, and she bears
witness o f wha t thi s historica l chang e mean t fo r peopl e lik e her .
She tells about event s an d feelings without caring too much about
motivation o r causality . I n thi s respec t Jan e Pittma n resemble s
the youthful narrato r of "A Long Day in November."
Unlike " A Long Day," the author's novels as well as some of his
stories (fo r example , th e anthology' s titl e stor y "Bloodline" ) ar e
more directly concerned with the collective fate of the black people
in th e Unite d States , with interracia l antagonism s o f th e pas t and
the present , an d wit h rebellion . Bu t politica l topic s i n Gaines '
fiction are alway s interlaced with the account of everyday life and
individual experience . I n " A Lon g Day" he dispense s completel y
with th e clas h of different racia l and historical patterns, restricting
the narrativ e t o th e black community. He displays a microcosm of
private lif e an d persona l relationships. Nevertheless, the characters
of the novella are implicitly shown as products of a people's history
and social traditions.
The autho r feels free to deal with aspects of the black condition
that hav e seldom been pointed ou t by black writers in this manner.
Eddie, who is exclusively presented in his role as a "family man " is
certainly no t a her o i n th e traditiona l sense ; w e hav e see n tha t
weakness and confusio n ar e clea r marks of his nature. Neverteless,
without eliminatin g comi c an d eve n grotesque feature s o r apolo-
gizing for them , Gaine s does not i n the least expose his characters
to ridicule . Rathe r h e make s Eddi e achiev e a kin d o f prid e an d
dignity whic h i s the resul t o f th e author' s humou r and his human
understanding o f "commo n folks. " B y interweaving th e conten t
and th e narrativ e techniqu e o f thi s stor y s o tha t the y becom e
mutually reinforcin g an d complementary , Gaine s succeed s i n
rendering his characters, thei r environment , and their emotions al-
most palpable . His ability an d th e ease with which he presents the
167
world o f averag e blac k peopl e "fro m within, " a s it were , see m t o
be th e mai n reaso n wh y h e i s hailed a s one o f a new generation o f
black writers .
NOTES
1. Ernes t J. Gaines, Bloodline (New York, 1968) . "A Long Day in Novem-
ber," pp. 3-79; all page numbers in parenthesis refer to this Dial edition. The
story ha s als o bee n anthologize d i n Langsto n Hughes , ed., The Best Short
stories by Negro Writers: An Anthology from 1899 to the Present (Boston,
1967).
2. Th e mos t well-know n an d noteworth y amon g the m ar e th e so-calle d
Moynihan Repor t (Danie l Patrick Moynihan, Perspectives on Poverty. 2 vols.
New York, London, 1966-67) , which was used as an official documen t in the
political endeavours of the late sixties, and Herbert G.Gutman's new book The
Black Family in Slavery and Freedom. 1750-1925 (1976).
Moynihan argued that slavery destroyed black family structure, as a result of
which th e blac k family i s characterized b y "hig h rates of marital instability
(desertion, divorce , separation) , hig h incidenc e o f househol d heade d b y
females, high rates of illegitimacy."
Gutmann maintains that th e family ideal and strong family solidarity remain-
ed basicall y unbroken, in spite of the disrupt
iv e an d demoralizing effects o f
slavery. H e look s upo n th e economi c problem s cause d b y th e Depression ,
especially the post-1925 migration of blacks to the North and their urbaniza-
tion, as the mai n reaso n fo r th e difficultie s o f the lower-class black famil y
today.
3. Hi s real name is mentioned only once. Significantly this is in class, where his
teacher calls him Eddie instead of his familiar pet name (p. 24 f.).
4. Agai n thi s take s plac e a t school , where Sonny's ordeal occurs (p. 24 f.).
Miss Hebert , th e teacher , recognize s th e boy' s agon y and , t o hi s surprise,
treats him as what he is: a child in distress.
5. Rut h Laney , "A Conversation with Ernest Gaines," Southern Review N.S.
10 (1974), pp. 6-7.
168
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gaines' novels are:
Catherine Cannier. New York, 1964.
Of Love and Dust. New York, 1967.
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. New York, 1971.
Major secondary sources:
Jerry, H. Bryant, "From Death to Life : Th e Fiction of Ernest J. Gaines,"
Iowa Review, 3 (1973), 106-120.
Bryant, "Ernes t J . Gaines : Change , Growth , an d History, " Southern
Review U.S., 10(1974), 1-14.
Winfried L . Stoelting, "Human Dignity and Pride in the Novels of Ernest
Gaines," CLA Journal, 14 (1971), 340-358.
169
Peter Freese
JAMES BALDWIN
GOING TO MEET THE MAN
(1965)
Whoever debases others is debasing himself.
That is not a mystical statement but a most
realistic one, which is proved by the eyes
of any Alabama sheriff.
James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time.
James Arthu r Baldwin , bor n i n Harle m i n 1924 , gre w up a s the
eldest o f nin e children in a world of poverty, racial discrimination,
and store-front-churc h fanaticism . I n 194 8 he ran awa y fro m th e
pressures o f th e ghett o and, lik e man y America n writer s befor e
him, went t o Paris. During the thirteen years of his European exile
he mad e th e "Th e Discover y o f Wha t I t Mean s to B e an Ameri-
can,"1 finishe d tw o novels, and wrote his first collectio n of essays.
The centra l concern s o f thes e earl y work s wer e the searc h fo r a
usable past an d a n acceptable identit y on the basis of a reconcilia-
tion wit h th e blac k man' s collectiv e an d individua l history , th e
hidden connexion s betwee n sexualit y an d racism , th e liberatio n
from internalize d role-stereotypes, and the painful accommodation
in a culture an d languag e which for centuries had barred the Afro -
American from participatio n on equal terms, but which proved the
only on e a t his disposal. When Baldwi n cam e back t o Americ a in
1957 as a successful youn g author , h e foun d hi s autobiographical
sources exhausted an d hi s initial them e o f reconciliatio n with self
and worl d grow n stale.2 Moreover , hi s stric t distinctio n betwee n
literature and sociology, art and propaganda, a result of the literary
parricide whic h was meant to free him from th e disturbing shadow
of hi s grea t predecesso r an d forme r benefacto r Richar d Wright ,
had los t it s persuasive power in the face of American reality. Thus
the death o f Wrigh t i n 196 0 wa s lik e a signal , for no w Baldwi n
could giv e in t o his growing urge to protest without being accused
of imitatin g Wright . Promptl y hi s ne w novel , Another Country
(1962), whic h instantly becam e a bestseller mostl y fo r th e wrong
reasons, turned out, in many respects, to be the very kind of protest
171
novel he ha d formerl y denounced . And his third volume of essays,
probably hi s mos t influentia l boo k t o date , replaced th e promis e
of salvatio n wit h th e threa t o f retribution, and the announcement
of th e birt h o f Chris t — Go Tell It on the Mountain — whic h ha d
served as a title for Baldwin's first novel , turned into God's warning
after th e delug e tha t ther e woul d b e n o mor e water, but The Fire
Next Time. Durin g th e followin g year s Baldwi n enjoye d a n im -
mense popularit y an d becam e a leading figure i n th e Civi l Right s
Movement. Bu t h e wa s forced t o realiz e tha t h e coul d no t b e an
artist an d a publi c spokesma n a t th e sam e time , an d whil e stil l
being pampered b y whit e liberal America he had to face a growing
antagonism i n hi s ow n camp , wher e th e adherent s o f a blac k
aesthetic denounce d hi s claims fo r universalit y a s assimilationism
or, like Cleaver , reviled hi m as a literary Uncl e Tom because of his
idealistic lov e ethics. Baldwi n fled again and, in 1970 , retired for a
second tim e int o hi s Europea n exil e i n th e sout h o f France . His
more recen t publication s hav e bee n decidedl y les s successful tha n
his earlie r work , an d hi s lates t novel , If Beale Street Could Talk
(1974), wa s almos t unanimousl y rejecte d a s a complet e failure .
The questio n o f whethe r Baldwin' s exceptional talen t will be able
to surviv e tha t "wa r betwee n hi s [i.e . the black artist's] social and
artistic responsibilities" 3 whic h Baldwi n ha d onc e detecte d in the
works o f Langsto n Hughes , ca n onl y b e answere d b y hi s futur e
development.
In 1965 , at th e heigh t o f hi s fame, Baldwi n publishe d hi s only
volume o f shor t storie s t o date . O f te n storie s whic h ha d bee n
printed betwee n 194 8 and 196 2 in magazine s as diverse a s Made-
moiselle an d Partisan Review h e selecte d five for thi s collection .
Four o f th e othe r fiv e ha d bee n prepublications of parts of novels
in progres s and thus were no longer available, while the fifth, "Th e
Death o f th e Prophet " {Commentary, Marc h 1950) , ma y hav e
been too openly autobiographical for another publication. To these
five reprints, one of which was written as far back as 1948, Baldwin
added, wit h "Th e Rockpile," "The Man Child," and the title story,
three hithert o unpublishe d pieces . This collection, Going to Meet
the Man, becam e a great succes s with th e genera l reading public,
but i t go t rathe r mixe d reviews , and, wit h th e possibl e exceptio n
of "Sonny's Blues,"4 s o far Baldwin's stories have scarcely attracted
any sustaine d critica l commentary . Thi s is regrettable becaus e a n
early story like "Previous Condition" contains nearly all the themes
172
and technique s Baldwi n wa s t o unfol d i n hi s oeuvre and thu s
serves a s a useful introductio n t o a n understanding o f hi s work, 5
an ambiguou s parabl e lik e "Th e Ma n Child " merit s th e closes t
scrutiny, an d th e highl y controversia l "Goin g to Meet the Man" is
one o f th e mos t brillian t amon g th e ric h cro p o f contemporar y
Afro-American stories .
It wa s only i n th e fal l o f 195 7 tha t Baldwin , th e urba n North -
erner, visite d th e Sout h fo r th e firs t time , and h e wen t there , as
he state s i n hi s "Nobod y Know s M y Name : A Lette r fro m th e
South," wit h hi s mind "fille d wit h th e imag e o
f a black man, ... ,
hanging from a tree, while white men watched him and cut his sex
from hi m wit h a knife." 6 I t i s thi s nightmaris h imag e o f th e
'strange fruit ' o f th e sexles s blac k ma n hangin g fro m a tree tha t
lies a t th e cor e o f "Goin g t o Mee t th e Man " ("GMM" ) an d tha t
puts th e stor y i n a group with other narratives about the 'lynching
bee' like Faulkner's "Dry September, " Caldwell's "Saturday After -
noon," o r Wright' s "Bi g Bo y Leave s Home." 7 Bu t th e stor y ha s
also a topical significance, as it alludes directly to the events of the
sixties i n Alabama . I n Octobe r 196 3 Baldwi n wen t Sout h agai n
to hel p Jame s Forman, the executiv e secretar y o f SNCC , t o
launch a Negro-vote r registratio n driv e in Selma , Alabama . Ther e
he encountere d Jame s Clark, th e Dalla s County sherif f know n a s
Big Jim Clar k an d notoriou s fo r his violent measures against black
demonstrators. I t seem s quite obviou s that thi s man serve d as the
model for the "Big Jim C." (201 )8 o f the story who is also engaged
in dispersing a line of demonstrators claiming the right "to register"
(201). Eve n th e recurrin g motif o f th e lonel y ca r whos e lights hit
the shutter s o f a roo m an d frighte n th e peopl e insid e (cf . 199 ,
209, 218 ) seem s to come directly from Baldwin' s own experience:
telling Fer n Marj a Eckma n abou t hi s secret nightl y meetin g wit h
Forman, he said:
We were sitting around talking .. . And then you'd realize that a car was
coming. And that everyon e was listening .. . And the car would — you'd
see the lights of the car pass the window. In this total silence. And you'd
be aware that everyone, including you, was waiting for bullets. Or a bomb.
And the car would pass and you'd go to the blinds and look out...9
Thus the story , whic h mus t hav e been writte n betwee n 196 3 and
1965, combine s Baldwin' s persona l experience s in th e South with
his almost obsessiv e concer n wit h th e hidden connexions between
173
racism an d sexuality , an d it migh t b e read a s a fictional variatio n
upon hi s earlier statemen t tha t th e inexorable la w that "whoeve r