Book Review: Giovanni’s Room

Giovanni’s room- Antidote to Shame

Source- bookfrom.net

“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its shame”

~ By Oscar Wilde

The book was published in 1956 by James Baldwin. The book created a lot of chaos and ultimately got banned due to its frank and open way of discussing sexuality and gender identity. It portrayed homosexuality as well as bisexuality which were very less acceptable in the 1950s than they are today.

Plot of Novel

Beginning

Giovanni’s room is a story about how the protagonist constantly struggles to accept his sexuality and in the process, he often confuses his sexuality with gender identity. Butler also talks about how sexuality and gender are often linked together when they are different from each other in her famous “gender trouble” book- “we can only know sex through gender, and although we ‘become’ our genders, there is no place outside this gender that precedes this becoming.” (21).

He feels ashamed of his true sexuality and constantly does questionable things to hide it. The story begins with David telling us how he is in a heterosexual relationship and has proposed to his girlfriend Hella, who went to Spain to think.

Later in the novel, he meets with Giovanni, a bartender in a queer bar and instantly feels attracted but tries to hide it at the same time. Giovanni, who was very confident and open about his sexuality flirts with him but he resists.

Mid of Novel

As the story moves further, they both get into a relationship and move together but then he receives the letter from Hella telling him of her return and acceptance of his proposal.

Then he sets out to find a woman to sleep with just to perform and practice heterosexual sex. On the other hand, Giovanni gets fired from his job on basis of false allegations but instead of supporting him, David leaves him for Hella to protect his “manhood”.

Ending

As time goes on, David runs into Giovanni many times. He always used to get upset and couldn’t be with Hella. Hella was just something to showcase his masculinity, and manhood to the world for him. At last, things get messed up when Giovanni gets the death punishment for murder.

David feels suffocated after hearing the news and leaves without telling Hella. He there sleeps with the sailor and when Hella got to know about it she leaves him telling him that she always had doubts. The book ends with David thinking of Giovanni’s execution and his guilt of not accepting himself.

How can Giovanni’s room be seen as an “Antidote to Shame”?

David does a lot of questionable things throughout the novel and uses people for his sake without caring for anyone’s emotions but there is still redemption for him at the end of the novel. His character grows slowly till the end of the novel and he realizes his mistakes.

The sexuality which at the beginning brought him the same at last he accepted it. Shame is the central theme in the novel. James Baldwin shows David's struggles with the societal cultures made around him. It is his fear and shame that he constantly declines his identity and humiliates people around him who show him the mirror.

“Giovanni’sRoom” shows how sexual shame functions in a way that how shame exposes to anxiety not only by the feminizing the force of homosexuality but also by how it feels to be the object of the gaze.

It deals with not just David but the world of queer people and shows their way of surviving and fulfilling desires. The end of the novel shows how self-acceptance can only be the antidote to shame. One’s you accept yourself there is no one you need approval from.

Baldwin shows that literature can be a perfect way to explore sexuality. He shows how difficult it is for a homosexual person to live in a heteronormative construct made by society. “Giovanni’s room” is a novel based on themes like self acceptance, love, guilt, shame etc.

The novel portrays the main protagonist's constant fear of coming out in front of society. He tried to hold onto the strict patriarchal norms of the society but the tighter he held the more they slipped and showed him the mirror of his true self. And how he finally had to accept himself to live freely and happily.

Written By- Kirti Garg

Edited By- Rumela Gupta