Baldwin’s best friend was a man of color; he was black, Baldwin describes him as an “Incandescent Negro.” Throughout the story Baldwin’s “man of color” has to face many different hardships. These obstacles wouldn’t be there if he wasn’t black. The situation between him and his girlfriend is an example of one of these obstacles. His girlfriend’s parents didn’t accept his “blackness.” They went behind intolerance; they even threatened him to place him in prison. This was possible back then because people often stereotyped black males as being aggressive. They used their prejudices to justify their actions. As the story proceeds we learn that Baldwin’s friend committed suicide. He had done so because he was black and wasn’t able to face a hostile society. “He would not have died in such a

way and certainly not so soon, if he had not been black.” He couldn’t take anymore racism from society that he had to put an end to his life. As one can see, it must have been difficult for a black individual to live their life in a judging “white” society.

As a result the black society is secluded in their own communities. Many felt lonely and lost, for example, Baldwin’s friend. “The loneliest and most blackly distrusted of men.” If a person was black during the 1940’s, society would have an automatic different treatment towards the individual. Black individuals would have no rights. They were often stereotyped as “aggressive.” There was no freedom of expression anywhere else besides their own community, and sometimes that would be stopped as well. As Baldwin writes, “It was a time of the most terrifying personal anarchy. If one gave a party, it was virtually certain that someone, quite possibly oneself, would have a crying jag or have to be restrained from murder or suicide.” All these were stereotypes for black people. Their life was extremely difficult and unwelcoming. Being black during the 1940’s often means a low social status, and often one would be looked down upon. The author uses these lines about being bl

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