thesis statement for notes of a native son

• Ask LitCharts AI
• Discussion Question Generator
• Essay Prompt Generator
• Quiz Question Generator

• Literature Guides
• Poetry Guides
• Shakespeare Translations
• Literary Terms

Notes of a Native Son

James baldwin.

• Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more.

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Coming of Age — Analyzing “Notes of a Native Son” by James Baldwin

Analyzing "Notes of a Native Son" by James Baldwin

• Categories: Coming of Age Literary Criticism

About this sample

Words: 509 |

Published: Sep 12, 2023

Words: 509 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Table of contents

The themes of "notes of a native son", racial identity and alienation:, father-son relationships:, social injustice and civil rights:, style and writing technique, personal narration:, rhetorical devices:, essay structure:, impact and relevance, relevance to the civil rights movement:, exploration of identity:, call to confront injustice:.

Cite this Essay

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Dr Jacklynne

Verified writer

• Expert in: Literature

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

2 pages / 768 words

1 pages / 659 words

3.5 pages / 1496 words

2 pages / 1005 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Coming of Age

In T. Coraghessan Boyle's short story "Greasy Lake," the journey from adolescence to adulthood is depicted through the experiences of the protagonist and his friends. The narrative, set in the 1960s, serves as a rich tapestry of [...]

Audre Lorde, a prominent African American poet, activist, and essayist, is known for her profound exploration of themes such as race, gender, and sexuality. In her poem "Hanging Fire," Lorde delves into the inner turmoil and [...]

The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, is a novel that has been a source of controversy and debate since its publication in 1951. The story follows the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, as he navigates the [...]

Wolf Hollow, written by Lauren Wolk, is a compelling and thought-provoking novel that delves into the complexities of human nature, morality, and the power of courage in the face of adversity. Set in rural Pennsylvania during [...]

The House on Mango Street is a captivating, yet simplistic read, but also a very deep and complex read. This book does not flow regularly like most books, instead it has short, choppy chapters that can seem very unconnected. [...]

As a young and curious child, Scout Finch's small town felt like her whole world. Since To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the 1930s in the South, that world was full of prejudice and some pretty strong opinions. In the story, [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

43 pages • 1 hour read

Notes of a Native Son

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Summaries & Analyses

Key Figures

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Summary and Study Guide

Notes of a Native Son is a collection of nonfiction essays by James Baldwin . Baldwin originally published the essays individually in various literary and cultural commentary magazines between 1948 and 1955. The Beacon Press first republished the essays as Notes of a Native Son in 1955. This study guide refers to the 2012 Beacon Press edition of Notes of a Native Son . Citations to page numbers, however, come from the volume The Price of the Ticket: Collected Nonfiction, 1948-1985 , published by St. Martin’s/Marek in 1985 (hardback first edition), which includes all of the essays curated in Notes of a Native Son .

With the publication of Notes of a Native Son , along with his first novel Go Tell It on The Mountain , Baldwin catapulted into the national spotlight as a major literary figure. His rise coincided with the emergence of White liberal support for civil rights, and the White press came to see him as one of the leading voices of Black America. As this White support for civil rights waned by the beginning of the 1970s, Baldwin was deemed no longer relevant by the mainstream society, while Black readers would become more devoted to his later work.

Get access to this full Study Guide and much more!

• 8,550+ In-Depth Study Guides
• 4,700+ Quick-Read Plot Summaries
• Downloadable PDFs

Notes of a Native Son established Baldwin as a major essayist. All of his essays amount to meditations on race and reflections on slavery’s ongoing repercussions for human connection today. He offers these meditations by discussing the most mundane things that everyone can relate to—death, love, family, popular culture, fear, and desire. Baldwin’s essays closely connect to his own lived experience—which was both typical and atypical for a Black person in mid-twentieth century America. He grew up poor in Harlem, exposed to many of the cultural institutions central to that historic Black neighborhood in New York City. He also had an inimitable talent and drive for writing about the human condition as he experienced it. This led him to travel to Paris to find his way as a writer. While most Black people were not able to go this route, Baldwin was following a path laid out by Black writers and artists in the generations immediately preceding his. The New Negro Movement of the 1920s was also known as the Harlem Renaissance because Harlem was in many ways the cultural epicenter of this major development in Black history.

In “Everybody’s Protest Novel,” Baldwin criticizes Uncle Tom’s Cabin , coining it as a “protest novel,” a uniquely American literary genre . While the intention of the genre is to help the oppressed, he believes the novel perpetuates the agenda of White liberals using stock characters that don’t accurately portray the experiences of slaves as complex human beings. Baldwin explores another novel of this genre, Native Son , in “Many Thousands Gone.” The title of the essay references the deaths of thousands of slaves, and Baldwin argues that the novel, and society, refuses to move past slavery, and the Black community alienates Black people who try to overcome segregation.

The SuperSummary difference

• 8x more resources than SparkNotes and CliffsNotes combined
• Study Guides you won’t find anywhere else
• 175 + fresh titles added every month

In “Carmen Jones: The Dark is Light Enough,” Baldwin criticizes the musical film Carmen Jones , which took the plot from the opera Carmen and gave it an all-Black cast. Baldwin points out that the American public tends to sexualize the Black body, and the film doesn’t better the opera’s message. He also notes that the actors are all very light-skinned, making them “light enough” for Hollywood.

In “The Harlem Ghetto,” Baldwin portrays his neighborhood in New York City, along with the racial oppression therein, and he considers that interracial understanding might be possible. In “Journey to Atlanta,” he tells the story of his brother’s quartet, The Melodeers , whom the Progressive Party sponsored, but then abandoned in Atlanta. Baldwin points out the party’s attempt to gain the favor of Black voters, though they had no interest in helping the Black community.  

“Notes of a Native Son” discusses Baldwin’s father’s life history and death, their strained relationship, and the generational pain that caused his father to be distant from his family. “Encounter on the Seine,” centers on the interactions between Black Americans, White Americans, Black Africans, and Black American entertainers in Paris. Baldwin suggests that Black Americans, displaced by slavery, have no heritage or roots as do Europeans. In “A Question of Identity,” Baldwin posits that Americans’ sense of time, understanding of society’s limitations, and skewed concept of freedom, leave American students in Europe without a sense of identity.

“Equal in Paris” tells the story of Baldwin’s arrest for using a friend’s bedsheet, which the friend had stolen from a hotel. Baldwin notes that his jailers were no better or worse than their American counterparts. In “Stranger in the Village,” Baldwin relates how the people of a Swiss village, who had never seen a Black person, treated him as a novelty—they did not intend to be unkind, as a contemporary White American might, but their reactions were dehumanizing. 

Plus, gain access to 8,550+ more expert-written Study Guides.

Including features:

Related Titles

By James Baldwin

Another Country

A Talk to Teachers

Blues for Mister Charlie

Giovanni's Room

Going To Meet The Man

Go Tell It on the Mountain

I Am Not Your Negro

If Beale Street Could Talk

If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?

Nobody Knows My Name

No Name in the Street

Sonny's Blues

Stranger in the Village

The Amen Corner

The Fire Next Time

The Rockpile

Featured Collections

A Black Lives Matter Reading List

View Collection

Black Arts Movement

Contemporary Books on Social Justice

Essays & Speeches

Existentialism

Hate & Anger

Inspiring Biographies

Politics & Government

Notes of a Native Son

By james baldwin.

• Notes of a Native Son Summary

The book begins with a preface, written for the 30th-anniversary edition, in which Baldwin explains how he felt unprepared to publish this collection of essays. Baldwin describes the importance of African Americans reclaiming the specific inheritance that was taken from them through slavery and racism while also reaching toward what is shared and universal among all people. Baldwin ends the preface by noting that he published the collection when he was just 31 and how, in more than 30 years, very little has changed in terms of racism in America.

In the first chapter, entitled "Autobiographical Notes," Baldwin presents some details about himself. Baldwin was born in Harlem and was interested in reading from an early age. His father wanted him to become a preacher but Baldwin felt little interest in religion. When he was 20, Baldwin left for Paris where he began writing more actively. While there, Baldwin decided that he must write about his experience as a black man before being able to write properly anything else.

In the next essay, "Everybody's Protest Novel," Baldwin discusses the well-known novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin . While many hailed the novel as progressive, Baldwin criticizes it for treating the subject of slavery from a sentimentalist view. This is, in Baldwin’s opinion, an overly simplistic way to look at the situation and does not analyze the reason why the slaves were treated the way they were. Baldwin also points out that in the novel, black people are still presented in a stereotypical way and that whiteness is still associated with goodness and beauty. Baldwin also critiques Richard Wright 's novel Native Son for oversimplifying complex issues and giving into rage and violence.

The next essay is "Many Thousands Gone." Baldwin argues that the reason why African-African experience is so little understood is that white people are unwilling to listen. In time, white society developed a certain way of looking at the black community through racist stereotypes. Baldwin again criticizes Richard Wright's Native Son for the way it accepts the image constructed of African Americans by white society.

"Carmen Jones: The Dark is Light Enough" is a review of the film Carmen Jones . The movie was adapted from the French opera Carmen but only black people were cast as actors. Despite this, Baldwin notes that the movie depicts black people in an unnatural way and removes certain aspects of the black culture such as their language to make the actors and their actions appear more suitable. Baldwin also criticizes the movie for desexualizing black people and for making it seem as if their sexuality is a threat and something negative that must be avoided.

In his next essay, "The Harlem Ghetto," Baldwin talks about Harlem, the neighborhood of New York City where he grew up. He describes the poor conditions in the neighborhood, noting that Harlem has changed little since his youth despite the efforts made by some black leaders. Baldwin also criticizes the press and how it fails to distinguish itself from the publications written by white people. Baldwin notes that countless churches can be found in Harlem, which reveals the importance of religion for many in the community. At the same time, he notes that black people have strong tensions with the Jewish people who live in proximity to the neighborhood. Baldwin also disagrees with the idea that oppression makes people wiser and claims that oppression only makes the oppressed feel angry and want revenge.

In "Journey to Atlanta," Baldwin discusses how African Americans are skeptical of the politicians running the country. Blacks are also less inclined to believe in politicians who are black as well since they all end up just as the white politicians, caring only about themselves. Often, black people are used by white politicians to further their agenda, as happened to one of Baldwin’s brothers who traveled to Atlanta to play music for the Progressive Party presidential campaign of Henry A. Wallace. Baldwin's brother was made to gather votes instead of performing by a white party member. Because of this, the quartet made almost no money and returned to Harlem even more disillusioned about politics.

In the title essay " Notes of a Native Son ," Baldwin discusses his father, who died in 1943. Baldwin describes his father in depth, a man who was born while his parents were still slaves. His father had trouble connecting with his children, who were scared of him. Towards the end of the father’s life, it was discovered that he was mentally ill, and this contributed to his failing health. Baldwin remembers how his father taught him not to trust white people. Baldwin adopted some of his father’s views while also trying to resist them. When Baldwin was living in New Jersey, he witnessed racial bigotry when he was not allowed to eat in certain restaurants because he was black. Because of this, Baldwin reacted sometimes violently, expressing his anger towards the people who refused to treat him in the same manner. Baldwin returned to Harlem a few days before his father died and he notes that only days after, his youngest sister was also born. The day of the funeral, riots broke out in Harlem. Baldwin describes these riots in great detail, showing how the ghetto periodically revolts again racism and poverty.

In the next essay, "Encounter on the Seine: Black Meets Brown," Baldwin writes about the situation in France and how the African Americans living in Europe had a different situation than those living in the United States. He describes interactions between African Americans and white Americans, white French people, and North Africans in France.

"A Question of Identity" also offers Baldwin's observations in Paris. He describes the American students, most of them WWII veterans studying in France via the GI Bill, who live in Paris. The students chose to remain behind after the war in Europe. The Americans have a romantic idea about what life in Paris will be like but then are quickly disappointed by it. Some decide to return home while others think they are adapting to the local life while holding onto old-fashioned stereotypes about the country. What all these types of American students share is an inability to reflect clearly on what it means to be an American.

In the following essay, "Equal in Paris," Baldwin is arrested after he is accused of possessing stolen sheets. The man who stole the sheets was an American acquaintance of Baldwin's who left his hotel after it became uninhabitable. Baldwin arranged for him to live in the same hotel as him and uses the sheets his friend brought with him without knowing they were stolen. Baldwin is arrested for the stolen sheets and then sent to prison a few miles away from Paris. There, he waits for his trial and he spends his Christmas Eve in despair that he might never be released. A day later, the charges are dismissed. When he is released, Baldwin looks at the judges who laugh at his situation and Baldwin thinks that privileged people all over world laugh like this because they know they will never end up in a similar situation.

The last essay in the collection is "Stranger in the Village." It takes place after Baldwin has left Paris and gone to the mountains of Switzerland. Baldwin stays in a little village where he is the only black person that has ever been seen. They treat Baldwin with great curiosity and yet with coldness, never acknowledging that he is a human being and not a spectacle. While in the village, Baldwin witnesses a festival during which a child dons blackface and then attempts to raise money for the community to "buy" black Africans so they can be converted to Christianity. Baldwin leaves the village but then returns in the winter to write. Some people get used to his presence while other people are suspicious and criticize Baldwin. He then ends the essay by discussing how black and European perspectives on the world diverge.

Notes of a Native Son Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Notes of a Native Son is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Note of a Native Son by James

This is really asking for your opinion. I don't know what meant something to you. It is a personal question.

In what month and year do the events of the essay take place?

Notes of a Native Son is a collection of essays written and published by the African-American author James Baldwin. Your question depends on which essay you are referring to.

What is the author’s goal in this book? And what kind of effect does he want his book to have in the world?

Baldwin believes that one cannot understand America without understanding race. Yet this does not only mean looking at the experiences of African Americans, though this is crucial. Baldwin argues that the racial system in America (the history of...

Study Guide for Notes of a Native Son

Notes of a Native Son study guide contains a biography of James Baldwin, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Notes of a Native Son
• Character List

Essays for Notes of a Native Son

Notes of a Native Son essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin.

• The Identity Crisis in James Baldwin’s Nonfiction and in Giovanni’s Room (1956)

Lesson Plan for Notes of a Native Son

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Notes of a Native Son
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Notes of a Native Son Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for Notes of a Native Son

• Introduction