Summary Of The Discovery Of What It Means To Be An American

In the essay “The Discovery of What It Means to Be an American” (36-38), James Baldwin recounts the difficulties of being a black American writer in the first quarter of the twentieth century. Baldwin talks about his constant search and battle in coming to terms with his role or place in the racial hot pot that was a white dominated society. He states how difficult it was for him and many other black American writers to find a sense of identity amongst the racial feud that had engulfed the majority of their homeland. To escape the racial entrapment of his country and many of his countrymen, he went on a search of self-discovery in Europe, spending many of his years travelling from city to city in France. Baldwin discovers that once he has moved to Paris, he is able to establish friendships and relationships with Americans that was not possible in America. Understanding this fact, Baldwin explains that in America, race issues still block people. But, in France, Baldwin is able to communicate with Americans of all races, origins, and class because
their common background as expatriates attenuates all other differences. James Baldwin explains about the realization of being an American, because he is using the Looking-glass theory, and the Interactionism theory.

James Baldwin explains in the essay that when he moved to Paris France, just like many American artists and writers, who found France to be a more hospitable place for artists and writers than America did in the 1960’s.
He only returned to the U.S. for lecturing or teaching engagements. All of his writings addressed racism and homosexuality, which caused a lot of controversy, even among the black community. Himself who was black and homosexual, he felt cutoff from the world for being openly gay and black. His essay has examples of both theories being used throughout it such as the Looking-Glass Theory, which is “the imagination of our appearance to the other person: the imagination of his judgment of that appearance, and some sort of self-feeling” (Cooley 10). He also uses the Interactionism Theory which is may actively decide upon a sense of self, rebelling against (or accepting) the expectations of
society. The Interactionism Theory is all about Baldwin placing himself in a state of chaos, which he was able to emerge as the man he always wanted to be, and not doing what the society wanted in America. Unfortunately Baldwin observed that in Europe there was some irony, because it is the place that allowed slave ships and slave trading to happen in history. But Europe is also the place that allowed him the freedom to do his own thing in the 1960’s.

The Looking-Glass Theory can be him realizing that people of all racial backgrounds can have difficulty finding an identity they’re able to accept. There are many hateful Stereotypes. Discrimination has declined a lot since he wrote his essay of what it’s like being American, and being what you want, some examples of this can be seen in the success of very influential celebrities and political figures like; Wes Moore, Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey, who all proved that life as a black American is now very different. Even our cities and school systems have changed and show that discrimination has decreased. Unfortunately racism and prejudices are still around in American life, but this discrimination is mostly based upon the person’s class and culture; people tend to be judged more on the neighborhood they live in, the clothes that they wear and the jobs they have.

I believe that James Baldwin explains about the realization of being an American really well in his essay, because he used the Looking-glass theory, and the Interactionism theory throughout the essay. I thought the essay was very inspirational and had a lot of meaning behind it. It was definitely an essay I would recommend to others to read.