James Baldwin's If Beale Street Could Talk

“Some people bring out the worst in you, others bring out the best, and then there are those remarkably rare, addictive ones who just bring out the most. Of everything. They make you feel so alive that you'd follow them straight into hell, just to keep getting your fix.” (Karen Marie Moning. “ If Beale Street Could Talk”, published June 17, 1974, was written by James Baldwin a New York Native who wrote a lot about the struggles of being a colored person and this book is no different. The book takes place in the state of New York initially taking place in a prison with the two main characters, Tish and Fonny, talking about how they are going to get Fonny out of prison and what they’re going to do with the child they are expecting. The story
In one scene Tish is attacked by a perv, and Fonny beats the living hell out of him. That’s when officer Bell comes in and when Tish tries to intervene it tests Fonny as he is supposed to be the one protecting her and not the other way around. “Armed with the knowledge that Fonny was not, after all, going to knock me to the ground, I held the back of my head against Fonny’s chest… and looked up into the face of this cop.”(137) Fonny then says, “ Don’t ever try to protect me again, Don’t do that… It’s not that same thing, Tish.”(140) Fonny was infuriated a the man who tried to assault Tish and it must of took a lot of love in order for Fonny to not throw Tish out the way to argue with the cop. He didn’t even sound too upset when he told Tish next time not to do it he sounded more embarrassed. When you find the right person no matter how upset you get with them you will never hurt them. When you find someone like Fonnie did they bring out the best in you. If Fonny was with any other person you can only imagine how bad the situation would've
No matter how pissed off you get at them you won’t hurt them and you will do anything to be with them. Fonny originally attacked Tish, but came back and apologized sincerely. He begged her dad to let him marry her even when the odds were stacked against him. Finally, he showed control by not doing anything when Tish was trying to keep him from getting into even more trouble. Everybody has some special person who can do wonders like Tish did to Fonny, and if you don’t it’s only a matter of time before you find someone who does. No one is perfect, but you can see how having someone else with you can make you a better person in the game known as