however the grief of Giovanni’s fate forced uponDavid, the inevitable acceptance of his life. David’s decision to leave Hella and admit to her that he loved Giovanni wasagain a decision brought upon by guilt and occurrences out of his control. Davidnever made a choice between his innate desires and the societal pressures whichcondemned these desires. He allowed certain episodes to control the direction of hislife, without ever examining what it was he wanted from life. The emotionalbreakthrough that is expected to occur in Baldwin’s novel, does not. David’s abilityto overcome his rite of passage is thwarted by his inability to accept the burdens ofhis life. Baldwin’s main character is so caught up in battling his own identity that it prevents him from ever grasping his true humanity. Baldwin exemplifies his wordsin “Everybody’s Protest Novel” through this novel by painting a picture of howdifficult it can actually be to accept our own humanity. Baldwin clearly states amessage which promotes universal understanding in a world of complex individuals. He portrays the reality of human beings common suffering, while campaigning forhumanity to accept and not define individual categorizations. Baldwin uses Davidto show the power of love and human connection in society, along with the negativeeffect socially defined roles can have on individuals development....
