Brandon Gerlach

Professor Duran
English 100
23 November 2014
Quotation Analysis: Baldwin's "Stranger in the Village"
Based on our reading of James Baldwins Stranger in the Village (pages 56 and 58), what is
your opinion of the villagers reaction, particularly, the children to Baldwin.
In "Stranger in the Village" James Baldwin conveys how he found racism to be prevalent in a
small Swiss village. Even though Baldwin's influence of White America is too far out of sight,
there is still racism that exists in a small and unassuming town. Baldwin is naturally forced to
react outrageously by the way the villagers have treated him since day one. No one likes to be
treated as an outcast or being treated as an outsider, no matter what the situation entails.
However, Baldwin's first thoughts in the beginning, to hear children shout "neger" and see the
villagers treat him like an alien, were complete amazement and shock. Many may say that
Baldwin should just ignore this type of behavior, but his feelings of shock and even anger are
valid. Being made to feel inferior since as far as he can remember is something so disturbing that
it is not easy to simply dismiss. Baldwin expresses this feeling as:
It must be admitted that in the beginning I was far too shocked to have any real reaction. In so
far as I reacted at all, I reacted by trying to be pleasant-it being a great part of the American
Negro's education (long before he goes to school) that he, must make people "like" him. (58)
In these two sentences, Baldwin states a way that he personally went about this problem that was
going on in the town he lived in. I can understand the fact that African Americans at this time
were only trying to survive and get by. What I don't understand is why does the society allow for
this type of behavior to be acceptable at such a young age? These kids have no right, nor the
understanding, as to why they would see a black person walking along the street and making
such remarks to him. These kids in the street are making these statements blindly, without
realizing the crudeness and hatred behind what it is they are saying. They don't realize how much
pain they can cause verbally. But it isn't their fault. They only reflect what they know and what
they've been taught growing up. This behavior from the children is a reflection upon their
parental guidance. It is only because that behavior is forced upon them since day one in their
households that they are behaving in this manner. When both white parents and their children are
behaving this way, it forces blacks to live with and put up with what it is they are being
persecuted for. Blacks are already inferior and are continuously the "cause" of the problem, that
if they react in a violent behavior, that'll give the whites reason to believe that it is the blacks
who are the problem, as appose to identifying the start of the issue.