- Published: November 17, 2021
- Updated: November 17, 2021
- University / College: University of Minnesota Twin Cities
- Level: College Admission
- Language: English
- Downloads: 35
Book Review The quote “ Perhaps it was because he looked so innocent lying there, with such perfect trust; perhaps it wasbecause he was so much smaller than me; my own body suddenly seemed gross and crushing and the desire which was rising in me seemed monstrous. But, above all, I was suddenly afraid. It was borne in me: But Joey is a boy. (1. 1. 19)”
This quote explore more on what novel deals with; whereby the chief character by the name David has illustrated his tussles to adjust and understand his affiliation with Giovanni in addition to the insinuations of homosexuality on masculine character and the link to control by the male gender. One major of this quote is the reason that David starts to have a guilt feeling on the issue of sleeping with Joey, he views how tiny and the innocence look on Joey. It appears that David connects sex and cravings with a disloyalty of faith and trust; he perceives sex as a dirty act. In the novel, Baldwin creates inquisitive relations between David’s fascination with “ perfect” manhood and the way that the act of homosexuality prevents it. This is also viewed in a situation whereby Jacques ridicules David’s fascination with his “ perfect manhood”. In addition, the quote shows that David is scared that his connection with Giovanni might make him weak as a male, feminize him and, since Giovanni is the main source of income in their relationship, so that means David will have to assume the position of the wife, something that he is not ready to accept. In spite of the fact that the novel developed about the male atmospheres and their increasing yet uneasy homosexual/homosocial attachment, the feminine characters present a crucial part in the quote. Giovanni and David are from previous heterosexual affairs that are enormously significant in their current relationship and their current relationship. Therefore, we can conclude by saying that the quote represents a catastrophe of masculinity.
Work Cited
James Baldwin. Giovannis Room”. Oxford: Oxford university press, 1956. Print
