If Beale Street Could Talk
James Baldwin
Firm of publishers: Wolters-Noordhoff
1st Print: 1974
143 pages
Genre: Love and Racism
Literary period:
I think this book is modern literature.
Summary:
The main character, Tish, is living in Harlem, New York. Harlem is a part of New York where most inhabitants are Negroes.
Fonny, a twenty year old boy is living in the same street as Tish and they have been friends since they were young.
Tish tells how the have spent there youth together. She has often visited the family of Fonny (the family Hunt) and, in contradiction of his mother and sisters, she likes his father. Fonny’s mother is very religious and belongs to a fanatical Christian church and she doesn't give Fonny much attention.
Tish and Fonny have fallen in love and now she is pregnant of him. They want to marry soon.
Fonny lives in Harlem, makes sculptures and to earn some extra money he works as a cook. Fonny and Tish move into an apartment, which will be too small when they get married, so they look for a bigger apartment. This is very difficult, because there are a lot of prejudices against Negroes.
But before they get married, Fonny is put in jail. This is because a Puerto Rican woman, Miss Rogers, falsely accused Fonny of raping her. A black man has raped her but the racist white police officer Mr. Bell asks her to pick out the offender from a line of people, amongst whom Fonny is the only black man. Although Fonny isn’t guilty and even has an alibi, he has to go to jail.
Than Tish finds out she is pregnant. When she tells it Fonny, he is very happy about and really wants to get out of jail before the baby’s birth.
Both families do everything to get Fonny out of jail. The mother of Tish goes to Puerto Rico to see Mrs. Rogers. But Mrs. Rogers does not want to help Fonny. She wants to forget the rape and doesn’t want to be reminded of it.
Fonny’s family is working very hard to save money to get Fonny released on bail.
The get the money together and finally get Fonny out of jail.
But this is no happy end, Fonny’s father has commited suicide because he has lost his job after steeling goods to earn money for the security.
The baby is to be born soon.
Characters:
Tish’ real name is Clementine Rivers. She is a nineteen year old black girl. She lives in Harlem with her family. Her thoughts about white people are pretty negative. This is very understandable, because in her neighborhood white people are very racist to black people. She also thinks these days people are not honest and she has a bit a negative view of most people. To earn money she works in a perfume counter. The biggest change of her life in the book is that she gets a baby. She is a flat character and tells us the story.
Fonny is twenty-two years old and he is a cook. As sideline he is a sculptor.
Fonny worries a lot about things and Tish thinks that is the biggest reason why he is in jail. Fonny is proud when he hears that they are going to get a baby, but now he also worries a lot. I think that is very comprehensible because at that moment he is still in jail. Fonny is also a flat character because he does not change in the book.
Frank is Fonny´s father. He likes Tish and he likes that she and Fonny are going to get married. In the end of the book he becomes depressed and commits suicide. So I think that he doesn't have a very strong character. The fact that he drinks a lot might play a part too.
Explanation of the title:
Fonny and Tish grew up in the Beale Street. This street is also the reason that they have found each other. The Beale Street is the only witness of the rape. If the Beale Street could talk, Fonny would not have to go in jail innocent.
This Street is also witness of all the racism and thinks that happen there.
Theme:
The theme of the book is racism. The reason that Fonny gets in jail is racism. Also with the search of a apartment Fonny and Tish are getting in touch with racism. Among that there are all these little things that show us that the black people are the bottom of the society.
Time and places:
The time period of the story is about 22 years. But the last year is the most important and the most discussed year.
James Baldwin
Firm of publishers: Wolters-Noordhoff
1st Print: 1974
143 pages
Genre: Love and Racism
Literary period:
I think this book is modern literature.
Summary:
The main character, Tish, is living in Harlem, New York. Harlem is a part of New York where most inhabitants are Negroes.
Fonny, a twenty year old boy is living in the same street as Tish and they have been friends since they were young.
Tish tells how the have spent there youth together. She has often visited the family of Fonny (the family Hunt) and, in contradiction of his mother and sisters, she likes his father. Fonny’s mother is very religious and belongs to a fanatical Christian church and she doesn't give Fonny much attention.
Fonny lives in Harlem, makes sculptures and to earn some extra money he works as a cook. Fonny and Tish move into an apartment, which will be too small when they get married, so they look for a bigger apartment. This is very difficult, because there are a lot of prejudices against Negroes.
But before they get married, Fonny is put in jail. This is because a Puerto Rican woman, Miss Rogers, falsely accused Fonny of raping her. A black man has raped her but the racist white police officer Mr. Bell asks her to pick out the offender from a line of people, amongst whom Fonny is the only black man. Although Fonny isn’t guilty and even has an alibi, he has to go to jail.
Than Tish finds out she is pregnant. When she tells it Fonny, he is very happy about and really wants to get out of jail before the baby’s birth.
Both families do everything to get Fonny out of jail. The mother of Tish goes to Puerto Rico to see Mrs. Rogers. But Mrs. Rogers does not want to help Fonny. She wants to forget the rape and doesn’t want to be reminded of it.
Fonny’s family is working very hard to save money to get Fonny released on bail.
The get the money together and finally get Fonny out of jail.
But this is no happy end, Fonny’s father has commited suicide because he has lost his job after steeling goods to earn money for the security.
The baby is to be born soon.
Characters:
Tish’ real name is Clementine Rivers. She is a nineteen year old black girl. She lives in Harlem with her family. Her thoughts about white people are pretty negative. This is very understandable, because in her neighborhood white people are very racist to black people. She also thinks these days people are not honest and she has a bit a negative view of most people. To earn money she works in a perfume counter. The biggest change of her life in the book is that she gets a baby. She is a flat character and tells us the story.
Fonny is twenty-two years old and he is a cook. As sideline he is a sculptor.
Frank is Fonny´s father. He likes Tish and he likes that she and Fonny are going to get married. In the end of the book he becomes depressed and commits suicide. So I think that he doesn't have a very strong character. The fact that he drinks a lot might play a part too.
Explanation of the title:
Fonny and Tish grew up in the Beale Street. This street is also the reason that they have found each other. The Beale Street is the only witness of the rape. If the Beale Street could talk, Fonny would not have to go in jail innocent.
This Street is also witness of all the racism and thinks that happen there.
Theme:
The theme of the book is racism. The reason that Fonny gets in jail is racism. Also with the search of a apartment Fonny and Tish are getting in touch with racism. Among that there are all these little things that show us that the black people are the bottom of the society.
Time and places:
The time period of the story is about 22 years. But the last year is the most important and the most discussed year.
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F.
dankje voor de samenvatting, heel relaxed dat ie ook in het engels is!!!
13 jaar geleden
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