One of the main factors that impacts on James Baldwin's experience is that he is initially unaware that he lives in a racist society. He describes this in his essay saying,

The most important point about this statement is that it shows that Baldwin identifies himself more with being a white person than a black person. He does not see that he has anything in common with his father. His description of his father also suggests that Baldwin does not even see his father as part of modern society. Instead, he sees him as part of an African tribe. Considering Baldwin and his father, it is noted that there is only a generation between them. However, it seems like a much greater separation than this. The separation between Baldwin and his father is also seen where Baldwin describes his father saying that his white friends were not really his friends and that "white people would do anything to keep a Negro down" (Baldwin 56). Baldwin responds by saying that "I did not feel this way and I was certain, in my innocence, that I never would" (Baldwin 56). This shows the generation gap that exists between Baldwin and his father. Baldwin cannot understand his father's view and rejects it. Baldwin also cannot see the connection between himself and his father. This can be explained by recalling that Baldwin grew up considering himself as part of the white society, while Baldwin's father grew up considering black and white society as separate. To Baldwin, his father's ideas seem completely foreign and he is not able to comprehend them. If Baldwin and his father had of had the same experience of racism, it might have been something that made them closer. Instead, their different experiences force them apart. This partially explains why Baldwin feels more connected to white society than to his own father. Racism then can be seen as causing intense division in the black community. In Baldwin's father's generation, it seems that racism was so widespread that it was plainly obvious that black and white people were separate. This clear separation meant that the black people did not consider themselves part of the white society. In Baldwin's generation, the situation changed and racism was not so apparent. This is seen in Baldwin's own statement where he says that,

He looked to me, as I grew older, like pictures I had seen of African tribal chieftans: he really should have been naked, with war-paint on and barbaric mementos, standing among spears (Baldwin 53).

The psychological effects of racism on Baldwin, Baldwin's father, and the black community as a whole have now been considered. It has been seen that for Baldwin there is defiance and an intense anger, followed by an acceptance and a decision to control himself and make the most of the situation. For Baldwin's father there is a strong rejection of white people, driven by a sense of anger towards white society as a whole. For the black community, racism becomes a strong point of division between the generations of society, with racism resulting in the younger generation being isolated form the older generation.

The next consideration is the impact of racism on the black community. The relationship between Baldwin and his father represents the impact on the black community because it shows the division that occurs. Baldwin describes this where he says that his father was in the "first generation of free men" (Baldwin 52). Baldwin also describes how he sees his father as very different to him. As he states,

This shows that Baldwin did not initially have any idea that he would be the subject of racism. Instead, he viewed racism as something of the past that had no direct link to his own life. The most important point in regards to the psychological effects of racism is that Baldwin's response is based not just on dealing with racism, but on realizin

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Approximate Word count = 2475
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)