Word: baldwin
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...Movement, to Europe and Africa, through flirtings with Islam or drugs and finally to the mostly white professional world in which they begin to build their futures. All the characters seem bound to each other either by love, blood, or the church, reflecting a perception about black life that Baldwin began fleshing out several novels ago, but all must grapple with some personal demons before they can enjoy their love for one another...
Interestingly, this love is usually homosexual, but it is part of Baldwin's vision of change that protagonists endure little suffering because of their sexual preferences. Unlike many of his previous homosexual characters, Arthur and Jimmy enrich their own lives and those of others through their relationship: Baldwin sanctions the participants and counsels the reader to accept and to bless their union also...
Unfortunately, Baldwin's female characters get no such support or sympathy. Whereas males in Just Above My Head find strength and identity through the love of other men, women are almost always victimized by men, and must then be redeemed by the love of--or more accurately, through sex with--yet another man. Women characters are not nearly so well drawn as the men, never as courageous or introspective or just plain deep. When the women are strong and serious, their virtues owe nothing to their own struggles, but result from serving men, being hurt by them or sharing their...
WHAT IS THE man saying? One can't be sure whether Baldwin is giving his honest appraisal of the position of women in society or is presenting his own reactionary ideal. In either case, the perspective is disturbing...
...Baldwin's handling of the gospel music motif, which he weaves throughout the novel to mark the changes in Arthur's life, also warrants some criticism: readers lacking any exposure to gospel music may find the references hard to follow. This is important, since Baldwin depends on the music to evoke an atmosphere rarely found outside black churches. Those who can't understand the gospel theme can ignore it; still, having worked to incorporate that bit of black culture, it is sad the author failed to make the device serve the readers who most need "clues...