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“Exploring Character Revision” “ Notes of a Native Son” is a journey into the life and mind of James Baldwin, a young black man feeling oppressed by not only the “white man” but his own father. As he reflects back on his past, he is more understanding of the present. I believe his story is about realization and acceptance. Baldwin, who is seemingly naïve and not understanding of his father’s views, soon becomes filled with the “intolerable bitterness” of his father. In the end, he realizes “the dead man mattered; blackness and whiteness did not matter” (67). His comforting tone puts the reader in his position, and allows one to become a part of him and his history. As a young child, I think it was hard for Baldwin to relate to his father. Baldwin did not see skin color, as most children don’t, and his fathers hatred and detachment from not only society but from his family caused confusion for Baldwin. He didn’t understand why his father thought, “white people would do anything to keep a Negro down”(56), and why the presence of a white person in his house was a “violation.” It was in his innocence that he denied his father and his views.
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