Giovanni's room part 2

Giovanni's Room part 2

"The beast which Giovanni had awakened in me would never go to sleep again; but one day I would not be  with Giovanni anymore. And would I then, like all the others, find myself turning  and following all kinds of boys down God knows what dark avenues, into what dark places?"(Baldwin,84).  Giovanni, Guillaume and Jacques have embraced their sexuality; yet, these figures are portrayed in the novel as either desperate, hideous, or isolated. Considering the state of these men in the novel is David's  fear of accepting his homosexuality justified?

Giovanni's room is not only a physical place in the novel but is also its title. What is the significance of the room is the novel? David says 'It became, in a way, every room I had ever been in and every room I find  myself in hereafter will remind me of Giovanni's room"(Baldwin, 85). Is the room simply a memory or is there more to it? Why does David spend so much time describing specific details about the room?


"I resented  this: resented being called an American(and resented resenting it) because it seemed to make me nothing more than that, whatever that was; and I resented being called not an American  because it seemed to make me nothing."( Baldwin, 89) These lines reflect David's thoughts about Giovanni calling him an American. What is the significance of being an "American" in the novel? What weight does this  title hold if any in David's life?  Is being an American in any way connected to David's ideas of man hood?

Hela is significant as David's fiance . However outside of  this position, what is her role in the novel? Is  her adventure in Spain, significant in anyway to our understanding of the novel?