Notes of a Native Son

Grant Dunn

After reading parts of Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin, one statement that resonated with me was on page 7, “In effect, I hated and feared the world. And this meant, not only that I thus gave the world an altogether murderous power over me, but also that in such a self-destroying limbo I could never hope to write.” Baldwin’s tone is bleak, and quiet blunt. His sense of self-examination seemed to have painted an all too despair view of the world around him, and his relationship with in it. Obviously his opinion either changed as his life as a writer evolved, or he simply suppressed his true opinion on being a black author in today’s world. Baldwin proves the point that self examination can be tiring, intense, and not always result in an ideal conclusion. That being said, Baldwin has managed to push aside his conceived notions of himself, and continues to write, simply as a writer, not a “black” writer (despite what critics may pronounce). Baldwin’s attempt to simply be a writer is a bold one. Through my experience viewing galleries at CalArts, I can say the pieces that consistently move me the most aren’t about “being black” “being a woman” or being anything, but rather cover larger, more universal subjects.