Extended Essays 2021

RQ: To what extent does Baldwin portray homosexual identity as a cause of destruction in Giovanni’s Room?

Part Two: Self-Denial as Destruction

David’s self-denial is established through motifs of flight and reflections. This is first seen in David’s flight from his relationship with Joey. After having slept with Joey, David describes that, “A cavern opened in my mind (…) full of dirty words.” (pg. 8), and that, “I thought I saw my future in that cavern.” (pg. 8). The description of “dirty words” recalls the imagery of dirtiness already seen to be associated with homosexuality. Therefore, this first experience with Joey is the impetus for David’s realisation of his own homosexual identity, conveyed through the unveiling of the imagery of dirtiness. David’s ultimate decision to leave Joey’s bed, and thus to destroy his relationship with Joey, had come about because, he says, “I had decided to allow no room in the universe for something which shamed and frightened me. I succeeded very well – by not looking at the universe, by not looking at myself, by remaining, in effect, in constant motion.” (pg. 18). Therefore, it is established that by fleeing, by remaining “in constant motion”, David is able to deny the truth of himself and his relationship with Joey, by denying the homosexual identity that this relationship reveals in David. The image of David’s own reflection is also shown to be representative of his self-denial. This can be seen through the connection between the symbol of the mirror, and the imagery of dirtiness. Giovanni says to David, “You never have loved anyone, I am sure you never will! You love your purity, you love your mirror” (pg. 125), and that, “You want to be clean . You think you came here covered with soap and you think you will go out covered with soap – and you do not want to stink ,” (pg. 125). A parallel can be made between these two statements, firstly in the association between cleanliness and purity, and secondly in the idea of dirtiness as homosexuality, and thus the establishment of cleanliness and purity as representative of heteronormativity. Therefore, as the mirror is associated with purity, this then shows how maintenance of this purity, this cleanliness, necessitates denial of dirtiness, of homosexuality, and that in doing so, David’s love of purity, of heteronormativity, prevents him from loving anyone, and specifically Giovanni. As such, both flight and the mirror are established as symbols of David’s denial of his homosexual identity. This self-denial causes the destruction of David through the erosion of David’s selfhood. David says of his reflection that, “My reflection is tall, perhaps rather like an arrow, my blond hair gleams. My face is like a face you have seen many times.” (pg. 3) This assertion, that his own face is a “face you have seen many times”, could be seen to establish that this reflection is robbed of David’s own identity. As the mirror is a symbol of heteronormativity, in order to

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