James Baldwin: A literary appraisal

Abstract

James Baldwin [3] and Richard Wright [4] had before them the same aims and objectives. But there were differences in their attitudes and approaches. The element of heterosexuality is not at all there in the work of Richard Wright. But Baldwin's men are rarely heterosexual. Virility occupies no place in Baldwin. Critics are of the opinion that homosexuality gave Baldwin's work an original form. Unlike Richard Wright, Baldwin seems to be a hater of manhood and virility. We also see in his work the evolution of the racial problem of America. In his novels and his short stories, Baldwin attempts to find a solution to the racial problem which afflicts America. The most important thing is that in his work, the human problem occupies the prime place. The racial problem comes in second place. Baldwin is first and foremost an American. He always speaks like a prophet. There are contradictions in him, but they are only of 'seeming' nature.