blog #2

In thinking about the theme of this senior capstone and how it ties to the readings we have is interesting in the aspect of asking one’s self what their true identity really is. The questioning of one’s self and figuring out who they really are is something everyone goes through in life. The book Another Country by James Baldwin is truly an amazing story of identity and deals with finding who you are. This book touches on a lot of issues including sexuality, race, romance, betrayal, status, and friendships. This book is interesting in that it is not straight forward and the characters have flash backs to the past and then it brings the reader back to present. The opening of the book is really the past the reader finds out. Rufus dies and he is roaming the streets thinking about the past and that is where the book starts. I like that there is a bit of mystery and twist throughout the novel. I think the characters are different but at the same time they are alike. Rufus is struggling in trying to make it in a white person oriented world and doesn’t feel the same because he is black. He falls in love with a white woman named Leona. Leona herself came from the south and moved up north to escape her troubles. Her husband took her kids and she was forced to move on with her life. Ida, who is Rufus’s sister, falls in love with Vivaldo, who is Rufus’s best friend. Vivaldo and Rufus’s friendship develops deeper into a connection and they look out for each other. Their friendship gets tested when Vivaldo finds out Rufus has been beating Leona. Rufus thinks Leona wants other colored men and that she can’t find better than him. Rufus holds all of his anger in and eventually commits suicide. He can’t deal with being colored and living in a white world. Every character deals with the issue of identity later in the story more characters are introduced such as Cass, Richard, Eric, Yves. This story to me is touching and I have never read a story so passionate about identity and what the meaning of life the characters want. Everyone has problems and wants society to be whole. I also liked the detail of the story. The scenes of romance are described in a way that makes the reader get a feel of the essence and passion of being in a situation and makes you feel like you are there. The scenes are very intimate. I also noticed that the book is split up into 3 Books and within the books are chapters. The book does a lot of jumping around so paying attention to detail is crucial. I also think the setting of the story is important because Harlem is not an easy place to live. Harlem deals with problems such as race. One of the scenes in the story is when Rufus, Leona, and Vivaldo are walking in the park and a couple stares at them wondering which one of the guys was with Leona. Leona and Vivaldo are white while Rufus is black. Being that Rufus and Leona were together made people think negatively about them. I think the issue of race today is still something people talk about. To me the color of your skin doesn’t matter and that everybody is human. This book was truly a book that I enjoyed!