I met a lot of people in Europe. I even met myself. - James BaldwinSay no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe writings of James Baldwin are most famous for the complexity of racial, gender, and class distinctions in 20th-century American Western societies . His novels and plays depict personal dilemmas, social pressures interfering with the integration of black, gay and bisexual men, as well as these individuals' deeply internalized problems and their quest for acceptance. These characteristics are visible in Baldwin's essay "A Question of Identity" and in his novel, Giovanni's Room. In these two texts, the main characters face numerous identity crises regarding nationality, social status and sexuality. In the 1950s, many aspects of society changed as a result of World War II. During the war, men and women, black and white, played equally important roles. When the war ended, people wanted women and blacks to return to their previous positions in society. However, minorities did not agree with this and wanted to work and be on an equal footing again, because everyone was equally important and needed on the battlefield. Therefore, for groups that faced discrimination in the past, World War II was a provocative model for future change. As a result, many social norms have changed. For example, the state created various employment opportunities, considered “women's work.” These jobs were available to nurses, midwives, cleaners and office staff. Additionally, during this period, banking, textile and light industries also developed and provided women with opportunities in administrative, secretarial and assembly work. However, jobs were still strictly segregated by gender and repetitive, routine work was considered women's work. Baldwin's collection of essays, Notes of a Native Son, tells the reader about the social environment in the United States during the civil rights movement. Through his work, the conditions of being an African American living in a society marked by racial discrimination are recounted first-hand. In one of his essays included in the book “A Question of Identity,” he talks about looking at the different ways Americans, in American student groups in Paris, relate to Europeans and their culture. It analyzes soldiers living in Paris who were studying at university under the GI Bill that was offered to them after the war. Baldwin wonders why some soldiers succeed in adapting their lives to France, and why others do not. For example, Baldwin states: “Perhaps this is why Paris failed to make an impression on him for so long; and this is perhaps also why, when the tension between the real and the imaginary can no longer be borne, so many people suffer a kind of depression or take the first boat home” (130). Through this quote, Baldwin states that soldiers must face the conflict between reality and fantasy. Some soldiers have a theoretical and ideal conception of Paris, no real knowledge of the history of France or its inhabitants, and no understanding of the language. And so, when reality finally hits them, they end up buying their tickets to go home. On the other hand, theA successful soldier takes the time to study the history and culture of France and might even end up living with a French family. However, even this soldier could encounter problems because the French may also have an idea of ​​the Americans. Overall, Baldwin suggests to the reader that while living in Paris; we should use the “European point of view” to discover “[our] own country”. Something similar can be seen happening in the concept of identity in Baldwin's Giovanni's Room. The America presented in the book is wrapped up in the relationship between David and Giovanni. For example, David sees America as the place of his youth, the place of people he loves and understands. However, he would never have left America if he believed that his identity was not something else or that he was not entirely limited to his American identity. An example is when Giovanni coyly refers to David's nationality, David says, "I was unhappy about being called an American (and I was unhappy about it) because it seemed to make me nothing more than that, whatever it is; and I was unhappy about being called 'un-American' because it meant nothing to me” (89). Being American is the identity David is trying to escape; nevertheless, it is an identity that defines him. However, we all know very well that he can't always run away from his problems, because they will all catch up with him one day. Another major identity crisis in Giovanni's Room is David's struggle with his sexuality. He is either gay or bisexual, a fact that terrifies and defines him throughout the novel. He believes he should only be attracted to women because he is a man. However, David is also attracted to men; therefore, he believes that he cannot be the ideal, socially accepted man. David makes an effort to have it both ways by keeping his fiancée, Hella, and her boyfriend, Giovanni; but, in the end, he ends up losing them both. David eventually admits to Hella that his feelings for her are empty and unromantic, leading her to return to America, and Giovanni is ultimately guillotined. David's struggle is shown during his final fight with Giovanni. David said in a moment of rage: What kind of life can we have in this room? – this dirty little room. What kind of life can two men have together anyway? All this love you talk about, isn't it just that you want to be felt strong? You want to go out and be the big worker and bring home the money, and you want me to stay here and wash the dishes and cook the food and clean this miserable closet of a room and kiss you when you come in through the door and sleep with you at night and be your little girl. This is what you want. That's what you mean and that's all you mean when you say you love me. (142) Through this quote, the audience can clearly see David's denial of his sexuality. For this reason, he goes after Giovanni and they fight a lot. David is afraid that if he accepts who he really is, he will lose all his masculinity and have to adapt to gay stereotypes. Additionally, society looks down on homosexuals, so he would face a lot of criticism from outsiders. As a result, he would never be happy with Giovanni, never feel free to be himself, or never have a prosperous future. He should always put up a front just to protect himself and the people he loves. This is even more evident when Hella states that "Americans should never come to Europe [because]...they can never be happy again." What good is an American who isn't happy? Happiness was all they had (165). Hella's statement is, 2016..