"Going to Meet the Man": African-American Sexualization sexuality. violence against African Americans in 1965 South America, Baldwin describes this by investigating the violent sexual compulsions of the main character, Jesse, and how his radically racist mentality affects his sexual relationship with his wife, his profession of law enforcement agent and in large part. his self-perception. Baldwin offers a unique perspective on the nature of racism by revealing the ways in which white men have over-sexualized the African American population. Say No to Plagiarism Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games”. Shouldn't it be banned?Get the original essay At the beginning of the story, Baldwin introduces Jesse when he fails to perform sexually for his wife, Grace. After she gives up and begins to fall asleep, Jesse begins to give a detailed account of what happened. a confrontation he had that day with a young African-American protester on duty as a law enforcement officer. Although he is aware that Grace is beginning to fall asleep, he continues to graphically describe himself assaulting the boy by hitting him in the groin with a cattle prod. As he gives the details of this altercation, he begins to get excited. He describes the victim as “lying on the ground, shaking and moaning” (426), exhibiting a blatant sexual tone. During the encounter, Jesse fantasizes about being excessively violent towards the boy who he believes could not be more than ten years old (427). “Jesse wanted to walk up to him, pick him up, and pistol-whipping him until the boy’s head burst like a melon” (428). This narration is followed by a description of his somatic reaction to this fantasy, again indicating sexual arousal. Despite the fact that Jesse becomes sexually aroused by reliving the abuse he inflicted on an African American man, this does not imply that Jesse necessarily wishes to engage in sexual activity with a black man, even if he wishes engage in sexual activity like the black man. Matt Brim of Duke University explains in the Journal of Modern Literature: "The libidinal dynamic at play in 'Going to Meet the Man' is homoerotic without being traditionally homosexual. In Jesse's case, the internalized black man does not act as an obstacle or a "counter-will" that blocks arousal, and on the contrary, the blockage is not found in the presence of the black man but rather in his absence” (Brim, 185). ). Baldwin indicates that Jesse unconsciously feels sexually inferior and is threatened by the sexual power of the black man (Brim, 191). However, he loses his temper during this encounter and tells the young protester: “You are lucky that we inject you with white blood from time to time, your women” (428). Aside from the fiercely sexual nature of this statement and the blatant manifestation of his beliefs in white supremacy, the pause before Jesse says "your women" indicates that he finds himself making homosexual suggestions. This scene proves that not only is Jesse's sexual behavior violently deviant, but that he is not fully confident in his sexuality or manhood. This indication raises a larger argument that the white man's compulsion to oppress and persecute the African American man may be due to the fear of being physically inferior and therefore incapable of maintaining the social hierarchy. This is the first time Jesse's sexuality is openly linked to his need for power and violence. While continuing his attempt to stimulate himself, he also fantasizes aboutsexual relations with black women. Baldwin writes: “He couldn't ask her to do just one little thing for him, just to help him, just for a little while, the same way he could ask a nigger to do it. He lay there and sighed. The image of a young black girl provoked in him a distant excitement, like a distant light but, once again, the excitement was more like pain; instead of forcing him to act, it made action impossible” (424). Here, it is evident that Jesse possesses a sexual interest in black women, and that this interest is also violent in nature. The sexual interactions he has with black women are not depicted as consensual encounters. Baldwin writes: “Sometimes, of course, like any other man, he knew he wanted a little more spice than Grace could give him and he would go over there and pick up a black piece or call it a day. , it comes down to the same thing” (425). This narrative insinuates that Jesse abused his power as a law enforcement officer to take advantage of these women, and that it was not uncommon for him to do so. It is his obsession with authority, which is perceptible through this comment and the beating of the young demonstrator. It is obvious that Jesse enjoys sex with African American women because of its salacious and taboo aspect as well as the power he feels when passing. them. Jesse's attitude toward black women contrasts greatly with his attitude toward his wife. In the Journal of Black Studies, Paul Griffith writes: "Baldwin suggested that in the sexual assumptions that inform the Christian worldview, one must discover formative influences behind the Southern myth that views the body as a basis of defilement" ( Griffith, 514). Because Jesse views Grace as pure and God-fearing, he is unable to see her as an object of sexual desire. This reveals how society was influenced by religion, but also the belief that African Americans were fundamentally subhuman and inherently immodest. Jesse's lack of sexual feelings toward his wife highlights "the extent to which the ideal of purity was associated with whiteness and personalized in white women, sensuality was accordingly damned and projected onto black people" (Griffith, 516). In truth, Jesse is less turned on by the women he fantasizes about than by the ability to make them indulge his every lewdest desire. Although Jesse elevates his wife to a higher level of virtue, he shows no internal signs of remorse for her extramarital affairs, thus illustrating his ideology that the white man should be considered the most dominant component of American society . Baldwin provides insight into Jesse's childhood, which reveals the psyche behind his racist views. As a child, his best friend is African-American, which introduces the idea that racism is not innate, but learned. The turning point in Jesse's life occurs when he attends what is described as a "picnic" with his mother and father. The picnic, which turns out to be a horrific lynching, is a defining moment for Jesse. The event is described graphically and has strong sexual overtones: “The man with the knife took the Negro's private parts in his hand, with one hand, still smiling, as if he were weighing them. In the cradle of a white hand, the private parts of the Negro seemed as distant as meat weighed in a scale; but it also felt heavier, much heavier, and Jesse felt his scrotum tighten; and huge, huge, huge, much bigger than his father's, flabby, hairless, the biggest thing he ever had; seen so far, and the blackest, the white hand 32.5 (2002): 506-27.

Essay / "Going to Meet the Man": African-American Sexualization sexuality. violence against African Americans in 1965 South America, Baldwin describes this by investigating the violent sexual compulsions of the main character, Jesse, and how his radically racist mentality affects his sexual relationship with his wife, his profession of law enforcement agent and in large part. his self-perception. Baldwin offers a unique perspective on the nature of racism by revealing the ways in which white men have over-sexualized the African American population. Say No to Plagiarism Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games”. Shouldn't it be banned?Get the original essay At the beginning of the story, Baldwin introduces Jesse when he fails to perform sexually for his wife, Grace. After she gives up and begins to fall asleep, Jesse begins to give a detailed account of what happened. a confrontation he had that day with a young African-American protester on duty as a law enforcement officer. Although he is aware that Grace is beginning to fall asleep, he continues to graphically describe himself assaulting the boy by hitting him in the groin with a cattle prod. As he gives the details of this altercation, he begins to get excited. He describes the victim as “lying on the ground, shaking and moaning” (426), exhibiting a blatant sexual tone. During the encounter, Jesse fantasizes about being excessively violent towards the boy who he believes could not be more than ten years old (427). “Jesse wanted to walk up to him, pick him up, and pistol-whipping him until the boy’s head burst like a melon” (428). This narration is followed by a description of his somatic reaction to this fantasy, again indicating sexual arousal. Despite the fact that Jesse becomes sexually aroused by reliving the abuse he inflicted on an African American man, this does not imply that Jesse necessarily wishes to engage in sexual activity with a black man, even if he wishes engage in sexual activity like the black man. Matt Brim of Duke University explains in the Journal of Modern Literature: "The libidinal dynamic at play in 'Going to Meet the Man' is homoerotic without being traditionally homosexual. In Jesse's case, the internalized black man does not act as an obstacle or a "counter-will" that blocks arousal, and on the contrary, the blockage is not found in the presence of the black man but rather in his absence” (Brim, 185). ). Baldwin indicates that Jesse unconsciously feels sexually inferior and is threatened by the sexual power of the black man (Brim, 191). However, he loses his temper during this encounter and tells the young protester: “You are lucky that we inject you with white blood from time to time, your women” (428). Aside from the fiercely sexual nature of this statement and the blatant manifestation of his beliefs in white supremacy, the pause before Jesse says "your women" indicates that he finds himself making homosexual suggestions. This scene proves that not only is Jesse's sexual behavior violently deviant, but that he is not fully confident in his sexuality or manhood. This indication raises a larger argument that the white man's compulsion to oppress and persecute the African American man may be due to the fear of being physically inferior and therefore incapable of maintaining the social hierarchy. This is the first time Jesse's sexuality is openly linked to his need for power and violence. While continuing his attempt to stimulate himself, he also fantasizes aboutsexual relations with black women. Baldwin writes: “He couldn't ask her to do just one little thing for him, just to help him, just for a little while, the same way he could ask a nigger to do it. He lay there and sighed. The image of a young black girl provoked in him a distant excitement, like a distant light but, once again, the excitement was more like pain; instead of forcing him to act, it made action impossible” (424). Here, it is evident that Jesse possesses a sexual interest in black women, and that this interest is also violent in nature. The sexual interactions he has with black women are not depicted as consensual encounters. Baldwin writes: “Sometimes, of course, like any other man, he knew he wanted a little more spice than Grace could give him and he would go over there and pick up a black piece or call it a day. , it comes down to the same thing” (425). This narrative insinuates that Jesse abused his power as a law enforcement officer to take advantage of these women, and that it was not uncommon for him to do so. It is his obsession with authority, which is perceptible through this comment and the beating of the young demonstrator. It is obvious that Jesse enjoys sex with African American women because of its salacious and taboo aspect as well as the power he feels when passing. them. Jesse's attitude toward black women contrasts greatly with his attitude toward his wife. In the Journal of Black Studies, Paul Griffith writes: "Baldwin suggested that in the sexual assumptions that inform the Christian worldview, one must discover formative influences behind the Southern myth that views the body as a basis of defilement" ( Griffith, 514). Because Jesse views Grace as pure and God-fearing, he is unable to see her as an object of sexual desire. This reveals how society was influenced by religion, but also the belief that African Americans were fundamentally subhuman and inherently immodest. Jesse's lack of sexual feelings toward his wife highlights "the extent to which the ideal of purity was associated with whiteness and personalized in white women, sensuality was accordingly damned and projected onto black people" (Griffith, 516). In truth, Jesse is less turned on by the women he fantasizes about than by the ability to make them indulge his every lewdest desire. Although Jesse elevates his wife to a higher level of virtue, he shows no internal signs of remorse for her extramarital affairs, thus illustrating his ideology that the white man should be considered the most dominant component of American society . Baldwin provides insight into Jesse's childhood, which reveals the psyche behind his racist views. As a child, his best friend is African-American, which introduces the idea that racism is not innate, but learned. The turning point in Jesse's life occurs when he attends what is described as a "picnic" with his mother and father. The picnic, which turns out to be a horrific lynching, is a defining moment for Jesse. The event is described graphically and has strong sexual overtones: “The man with the knife took the Negro's private parts in his hand, with one hand, still smiling, as if he were weighing them. In the cradle of a white hand, the private parts of the Negro seemed as distant as meat weighed in a scale; but it also felt heavier, much heavier, and Jesse felt his scrotum tighten; and huge, huge, huge, much bigger than his father's, flabby, hairless, the biggest thing he ever had; seen so far, and the blackest, the white hand 32.5 (2002): 506-27.

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