Question

Do you think Baldwin's essay (notes of a native son) is about the triumph of the human spirit? Why?

Answer 1

Yes, in one way, the essay makes you think of the strength of human spirit when it endures severe situations.

James Baldwin “Notes of a Native Son” refers to racial issues in America. The topic of the story shows how Baldwin goes through a cycle of events. He contemplates the death of his stepfather, his youngest sister’s birth, his nineteenth birthday, and race problems in Harlem. The events and the way they presented makes Baldwin wonder about the spirit of human nature and what it needs to endure to live by.  

Baldwin explores the bitterness and suffering of black Americans while remembering his father’s mental health. Baldwin thinks he can inherit the paranoia that affected his father and questions himself the way trauma is passed through generations.