h, where his parents came from, white people cheated them of their wages, and burned them, and shot them – and did worse things.”However, what Baldwin presents that Wright does not, is that racial prejudice is wrong either way. Gabriel spouts stereotypes and generalizations about ALL white people. Baldwin is quick to refute this with his basic message delivered in the quiet honesty of John. “In John’s mind then, the people and the avenue underwent a change, and he feared them and knew that one day he could hate them if God did not change his heart.” Baldwin’s vision of change starts in the heart of the individual. Black people could not change the minds of others but only their own. John was trapped as Bigger was by his rage, hate, and fear. John hated Gabriel and his oppression: Bigger hated, on a much larger scale, white society. John chooses to find inner peace and empowerment from within. Baldwin’s message utilizes the saving grace of God as an agent of change. “Then he stood before his father. In the moment that he forced himself to raise his eyes and look into his father’s face, he felt in himself a stiffening, and a panic, and a blind rebellion, and a hope for peace. The tears still on his face, and smiling still, he said: Praise the Lord.” More importantly was the view of internal transformation for humanity whether they chose secular and religious means of enlightenment. Hate is not a positive and lasting means of change as evident in the tragedy of Native Son. For stable and enduring social reformation, “Martin Luther King”-like movements are most promising. Baldwin and Wright understood the necessity for the black America to find ways to deal with rage. Nevertheless, it has been the efforts of both movements that led to the improvement race relations. Together powerful protest, fighting against injustice and the changing of people hearts...
