The sexualization of the African-American in "Going to Meet the Man" James Baldwin's short story "Going to Meet the Man" explores the intertwining of racism with sexual violence against an African American in the American South of 1965 Baldwin describes it by investigating the violent sexual compulsions of the main character, Jesse, and the way in which his radically racist mentality affects his sexual relationship with his wife, his profession as an agent of law enforcement and largely. his own self-perception. Baldwin provides a unique perspective on the nature of racism by revealing the ways in which white men have oversexualized the African-American population. Say no to plagiarism custom essay on 'Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned'? Get an original essay At the beginning of the story, Baldwin introduces Jesse as he fails to perform sexually for his wife Grace. After she gives up and begins to fall asleep, Jesse begins to give a detailed account of a confrontation he had that day with a young African-American protester serving as a law enforcement officer. Although he is aware that Grace is starting to fall asleep, he continues to vividly describe himself attacking the boy by hitting him in the groin with a cattle prod. As he gives the details of this encounter, he begins to get excited. He describes the victim as “lying on the ground jerking and moaning” (426), presenting an obvious sexual tone. During the meeting, Jesse fantasizes about being excessively violent towards the boy who, in his opinion, could not be older than ten (427). “Jesse wanted to walk up to him, pick him up, and pistol-whip him until the boy's head split like a melon” (428). This narrative is followed by a description of his somatic reaction to this fantasy, once again indicating sexual arousal. Despite the fact that Jesse becomes sexually aroused by reliving the abuse he inflicted on an African-American male, it is not implied that Jesse necessarily desires to engage in sexual activity with a black man, as much as he desires to engage in sexual activity like the boogeyman. Matt Brim of Duke University explains in the Journal of Modern Literature: “The libidinal dynamic at play in 'Going to Meet the Man' is homoerotic without being traditionally homosexual. In Jesse's case, the internalized boogeyman does not act as an obstacle or "counterwill" that blocks arousal, and instead the block is not found in the presence of the boogeyman but, indeed, in his absence" (Brim, 185). Baldwin indicates that Jesse unconsciously feels sexually inferior and is threatened by the black man's sexual potency (Brim, 191). However, during this encounter he has a tantrum and tells the young protester, “You're lucky we pump you a little white blood every now and then – your women” (428). Aside from the highly sexual nature of this statement and the overt display of his white supremacist beliefs, the pause before Jesse says “your women” indicates that he catches himself making homosexual advances. This scene provides evidence that not only is Jesse's sexual behavior violently deviant, but that he is not fully confident in his sexuality or his virility. This indication brings out a broader thesis according to which perhaps the compulsion of the white male to oppress and persecute the African American male is due to the fear of being physically inferior and therefore incapable of maintaining the social hierarchy. This is the first instance in which Jesse's sexuality is blatantly intertwined with his need for power and violence. As he continues his attempts to stimulate himself, he also fantasizes about having sex with womenblack. Baldwin writes: "He couldn't ask her to do just one little thing for him, just to help him, just for a little while, the way he could ask a Negro girl to do it. He lay there and sighed. The image of a black girl caused a distant excitement in him, like a distant light but, again,;the excitement was more like pain; instead of forcing him to act, it made action impossible" (424). Here, it is evident that Jesse possesses a sexual interest in black women, and that it too is violent in nature. The sexual interactions he has with black women are not described as consensual encounters. Baldwin writes: “Sometimes, sure, like every other man, he knew he wanted a little more spice than Grace could give him and he would go down there and get a black piece or arrest her. , arrived at the same thing” (425). This narrative insinuates that Jesse abuses his power as a law enforcement officer to take advantage of these women, and that it was not uncommon for him to do so is his obsession with authority, which is evident through this comment and the beating of the young man protester. It is evident that Jesse enjoys having sex with African American women due to the salacious and taboo aspect of it, as well as the power he feels when overtaking. They. Jesse's attitude toward black women is vastly at odds with his attitude toward his wife. In the Journal of Black Studies, Paul Griffith writes, “Baldwin suggested that formative influences behind the Southern myth of the body as a basis for contamination must be discovered in the sexual assumptions that inform the Christian worldview” (Griffith, 514) . Because Jesse sees Grace as pure and God-fearing, he is incapable of seeing her as an object of sexual desire. This reveals the degree to which society was influenced by religion, but also the belief that African Americans were essentially subhuman and innately impure. Jesse's lack of sexual feelings towards his wife highlights the “extent to which the ideal of purity was associated with whiteness and personalized into white women, sensuality was proportionally damned and projected onto blacks” (Griffith, 516). In truth, Jesse is less turned on by the real women he's fantasizing about than by the ability to make them comply with all his dirtiest desires. Although Jesse elevates his wife to a higher degree of virtuousness, he shows no internal signs of remorse for her extramarital affairs, further illustrating his ideology that the white man should be considered the most dominant component in American society. Baldwin offers a glimpse into Jesse's childhood, which reveals the psyche behind his racist views. As a child, his best friend is African-American, thus introducing the idea that racism is not innate, but learned. The turning point in Jesse's life comes when he goes on what is described as a "picnic" with his mother and father. The picnic, which turns out to be a gruesome lynching, is a defining moment for Jesse. The event is described graphically and includes strong sexual overtones: "the man with the knife took hold of the negro's private parts, with one hand, still smiling, as if he were weighing them. In the cradle of the single white hand, the the negro's private parts seemed as remote as flesh weighed on the scales; but it also seemed heavier, much heavier, and Jesse felt his scrotum tighten and enormous, enormous, enormous, much larger than his father's, flaccid, hairless, the greatest thing he had ever had; seen until then, and the blackest The white hand held them out, cradled them, caressed them” (435). place where Jesse experiences his sexual awakening and acts as the impetus for his twisted sexual compulsions related to 32.5 (2002): 506-27.