James Baldwin and Racial Antagonism

I was extremely moved by the depth and complexity of James Baldwin's "Going to Meet a Man" because it portrayed conflicting ideologies that one person has the potential to hold. Furthermore, at some point there needs to be a resolution between these two opposing ideologies, and I believe that is what results in this narrative. The character of Jesse holds an rigid point of view in public, when he feels as though he is subjected to being around blacks, but in private the audience sees a departure from that. Instead of his publicly influenced ideals, he confesses to his wife about a lynching he witnessed as a young child and the effect it had on him. Through conveying this story to his wife, even though she might not be listening, seems to resolve his perception of race in his community and in general. Keeping with Baldwin's effort to present racial antagonism, Jesse must confront his, for lack of a better term, devil that has been haunting him for a number of years. In his intro, it is stated that Baldwin suspects that if American's were every able to overcome racial antagonisms, then they would have to face a "Protestant Puritan Legacy," where there are multiple taboo's about sexuality and flesh. In his narrative, Baldwin has done that through including raw images along with a penetrating reflection on race.