Paris serves as a very important setting in the Novel “Giovanni's Room.” Paris and France, in general, are acknowledged as the most liberal place in the world during the 1950s. When David leaves for Paris, he has the main intention of finding himself and his sexuality. Although he is gay, he does not accept that sexual identity since it is not accepted in his home country. Due to the liberal nature of Paris, David can find his identity as a gay person within a city that does not condemn homosexuality. Therefore, Paris serves as an important setting in the novel because it provides a cultural environment that accommodates gay people and allows them to find their sexual identity. The setting communicates the theme of tolerance to different sexual identities that the author seeks to address.
The Paris setting is largely contrasted to the setting in New York. While Paris was liberal, New York was highly punitive on all homosexuality. As such, people who were gay were considered social misfits in that society. It is for this reason that David spends time to fight his sexual orientation and denies it while in New York. Moreover, being a black man predisposed him to great prejudice if he came out to be gay. Therefore, he seeks to find himself in Paris. When he finally accepts his sexual identity, he states “ I think now that if I had had any intimation that the self I was going to find would turn out to be only the same self from which I had spent so much time in flight, I would have stayed at home ” ( Baldwin, 2016). This contrast between New York and Paris shows the significance of the New York setting in the novel.
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Reference
Baldwin, J. (2016). Giovanni's room . New York: Everyman's Library.
