by Peter Bruck
debases others is debasing himself" coul d b e "prove d b y th e eyes
of any Alabama sheriff." 10
The actio n o f "GMM " cover s abou t thre e hour s i n th e lif e o f a
deputy sherif f name d Jess e in som e nameless Souther n town torn
out o f it s tranquillit y b y protestin g Black s who no longer accep t
'their place. ' But Baldwin , as in al l his work, canno t renounce his
conviction "tha t the past is all that makes the present coherent,"11
and, in orde r t o conve y thi s centra l message , he make s use o f his
favoured technique , th e flashback . Thu s th e stor y unfold s i n an
intricate sequenc e o f flashback s withi n flashback s withi n a frame,
and th e thre e hour s o f th e presen t actio n ar e gradually extende d
through divers e memor y fragment s unti l almos t th e whol e o f
Jesse's life is compressed into the limited scope of the story.
The presen t action , whic h hardl y contain s an y action , show s
Jesse in be d wit h hi s wife Grace , and i t reache s fro m "tw o in the
morning" (199 ) t o th e tim e of "the first cock crow" (218). Sleep-
less, bewildere d b y th e violen t event s o f th e preceding day , and
deeply disturbed by his sudden sexual impotence, he tosses around
beside hi s sleepin g wife, and while he hovers on the edge between
wakefulness an d slee p his thoughts star t wanderin g bac k into th e
past. Fro m th e incident s o f th e da y the y mov e bac k t o a lon g
forgotten encounte r severa l year s ago , an d the n th e "forty-two "
(199) -year-ol d ma n suddenl y recall s th e da y when , a s a boy o f
"eight" (208) , h e wa s take n b y hi s parent s t o participat e i n th e
gory ritua l o f a lynching . Inbetwee n Jesse' s thought s alway s
return t o th e present , s o that the time-structure of the story looks
like this:
two o'clock at night (198 - 200/3)
the preceding day (200/3 - 202)
several years ago (203 - 204/3)
the preceding day (204/4 - 204/19)
two o'clock - th e first cock crow (204/20 - 208/12)
the evening of the lynching day (208/13 - 210/4)
the lynching day (210/5 - 217/31)
the time of the first cock crow (217/32-218/12)
174
A look at the spatial structure shows a similar pattern:
the marriage bed
the prison
Old Julia's house
the prison
the marriage bed
the car (on the way from the lynching)
the parents' house
the car (on the way to the lynching)
the lynching place
the marriage bed
These survey s show tha t th e seemingly arbitrary and aimless chain
of Jesse' s thought s i s arrange d i n a symmetrica l pattern , bot h
halves of whic h begi n an d en d o n th e leve l of th e presen t action .
The firs t par t start s th e exploratio n o f th e past wit h a return t o
the immediately precedin g day, into which is inserted the memory
of a n even t o f severa l year s ago . Th e secon d par t move s bac k
thirty-four year s to th e da y o f th e lynching, which, in accordance
with th e overal l directio n o f th e narration , i s remembered back -
wards, beginnin g wit h th e evening . Suc h a reconstruction o f th e
story's movement i n tim e might giv e the impression tha t "GMM "
is a rathe r artles s thesis story i n whic h th e rigi d patternin g o f a n
author inten t upo n hi s messag e become s visibl e behin d th e sup-
posedly rando m thought s o f hi s protagonist. This, however, is not
at al l th e case , for , o n th e contrary , th e reade r neve r get s th e
feeling o f a manipulating authoria l presence , but accept s the flow
of Jesse' s thought s a s the reminiscences of a deeply disturbed man
which onl y follo w th e relentles s logi c o f a n obsesse d mind . T o
create suc h a n effec t Baldwi n make s us e o f th e techniqu e o f
association, an d a closer look a t th e 'seams' between the differen t
sections wil l sho w ho w naturall y Jesse' s min d move s fro m on e
level t o th e nex t an d thu s finall y an d compulsivel y reache s th e
traumatic experienc e which has determined his future developmen t
and formed hi s racial and sexual attitudes alike.
When Jess e give s up his fruitless attempt s t o hav e sex with hi s
passive wife , his thoughts ru n bac k t o th e event s o f th e day , and
his wish that h e might "neve r hav e t o ente r tha t jail house again"
(200) trigger s off memorie s o f hi s violent confrontatio n wit h th e
black leade r o f th e registratio n drive . His next ste p furthe r bac k
175
into th e past is convincingly prompte d b y his sudden recognitio n
that, severa l year s ago , he had encountere d tha t ver y perso n an d
that eve n the n th e stil l boyis h Blac k ha d dare d deman d equa l
treatment. Whil e thu s a plac e o f actio n an d a perso n figure a s
associative signal s linkin g differen t tim e levels , th e nex t switc h
seems t o b e entirel y arbitrar y an d therefor e inexplicable , for th e
transition i s marked b y a melody, th e firs t lin e of a spiritual, that
comes "flyin g u p at " Jess e "ou t o f nowhere " (207) . But whereas
the sherif f canno t se e the connexion , th e attentiv e reade r know s
full wel l tha t i t wa s the constan t an d defian t singin g of th e black
demonstrators tha t unnerve d Jesse the most. When the sheriff ask s
himself, "Wher e ha d h e hear d tha t song? " (208) , it i s clear tha t
some hidde n an d hithert o suppresse d nexu s wil l soo n com e t o
light, and i t i s of a n additional , ironi c significance tha t it is a song
from th e blac k man' s pas t o f slaver y an d oppressio n an d a song
about th e hoped-fo r rebirt h i n Chris t tha t serves as the catalyst of
Jesse's self-recognitio n an d th e revelatio n o f hi s buried past . Th e
final movemen t bac k t o th e presen t i s brough t of f b y a phras e
which Jess e ha s take n ove r fro m hi s father , fo r i t i s his father' s
"I reckon " (217 ) tha t i s repeate d thirty-fou r year s late r b y th e
son an d tha t serve s a s a n indicatio n o f th e fac t tha t Jess e ha s
inherited hi s whol e vie w o f lif e fro m hi s father, tha t th e son , as
the pitiabl e hei r o f a n inhumane tradition , ha s to pa y for the sins
of th e father , tha t the present is nothing but a logical extension of
the past.
It i s th e ver y "psychoanalytische Untersuchungsmethode" 12
that Wüstenhagen, from hi s Marxist point of view, criticized as one
of Baldwin' s centra l shortcomings , that lends a relentless logic and
a compellin g driv e to "GMM. " The evident parallel s betwee n th e
unfolding o f thi s story and the standard procedures of the psycho-
analytical sessio n tha t tur n Jesse' s marriage be d int o th e analyst's
couch an d lin k his chain o f memories with a patient's process of
free associatio n mak e th e stor y al l the mor e convincing and add a
new leve l o f significance . Th e obviou s temptation , however , t o
understand Jesse' s finall y regaine d potenc y a s the result o f a suc-
&n
bsp; cessful act of autotherapy should not be accepted too quickly.
The ominou s atmosphere o f th e story' s fram e is determined by
recurring details, among which three are of special importance: the
light o f th e "ful l .. . moon" (198) , which ha s "grown col d a s ice"
(218) a t the end of the story; the two dogs "barking at each other"
176
(198) i n th e silen t night, whic h "begi n to bark" (218) again when
Jesse come s bac k ou t o f hi s reverie; and th e soun d o f a car "hit -
[ting] gravel " (199) , whic h i s repeate d a s "the soun d o f tire s on
the grave l road " (218 ) i n th e ver y las t sentence . Thes e details ,
which lin k beginning and end and create an effect o f threat - Jess e
is "reaching for his holster" (199) when the car appears —, of lone-
liness, and o f sterility , have another, more important function , fo r
they are also meaningfully connecte d wit h the decisive incidents in
Jesse's past. Th e light o f th e passing car hitting the shutters of the
sheriffs bedroo m i s reminiscen t o f th e retur n fro m th e lynchin g
when "th e ca r light s picke d u p thei r woode n house " (209) , and
the barkin g o f th e dog s i n th e silenc e o f th e nigh t ma y subcon -
sciously remin d Jess e o f th e nigh t o f th e lynchin g when their dog
"began t o bark" and wa s "yawning an d moanin g outside " (209) .
The ic y ligh t o f th e moon , o n th e othe r hand , i s contrasted wit h
the burnin g ligh t o f th e su n (cf . 212 , 213, 214, 216) durin g th e
lynching; an d th e singin g o f th e demonstrator s whic h s o inex -
plicably angere d an d unsettle d th e sheriff , remind s him, althoug h
he doe s no t ye t realiz e it , o f "th e singin g [that ] cam e fro m fa r
away, acros s th e dar k fields " (208 ) a s a dirg e fo r th e murdere d
man on the evening of the lynching.
Thirty-four year s hav e elapse d betwee n th e nigh t i n whic h a n
eight-year-old boy , wh o ha d just witnessed the abominable tortur -
ing and killin g o f a black man , was lying sleeplessly in his bed and
listening fearfull y t o th e sound s o f his parents copulating, and the
night i n whic h a forty-two-year-old man , who has cruelly torment -
ed a black prisoner , i s tossing sleeplessly i n hi s bed an d worryin g
about hi s newl y discovere d impotence . Al l th e carefull y bu t un -
obtrusively rendered details of the story conspire to create an eerie
effect o f deja-vu an d contribut e t o th e brillian t illuminatio n o f
hitherto hidde n connexion s betwee n a boy's traumatic experience
and a man's pathological behaviour. The missing link between past
and presen t i s suddenl y brough t t o light , th e behaviou r o f th e
brutal racis t i s exposed a s the inevitable result of his socialization,
the victimizer revealed as the victim of his diseased mind.
It is obvious that for Jesse racial and sexual attitudes are inextri-
cably linked, and a closer look at the sexual aspects of his behaviour
should hel p t o clarif y hi s particula r syndrome . Whe n h e canno t
reach a n orgasm , excitemen t fill s hi m "jus t lik e a toothache "
(198), and the indistinct image of some black girl whom, in contrast
177
to hi s wife, he might hav e asked "to do just a little thing for him"
(198) fill s hi m wit h ne w excitement, whic h is, again, "more lik e
pain" (198) . When his wife ha s gone t o sleep , Jesse — "on e han d
between hi s legs" (198) — i s frightened b y th e soun d of a passing
car, an d ferventl y wishe s — a n ironic ambiguit y — "t o le t what -
ever was in him come out, but it wouldn't come out" (199). Again
he reflects that unfortunately h e cannot ask Grace to act "the way
he woul d as k a nigger girl to do it" (198), and his recollection tha t
"sometimes .. . he woul d .. . pick u p a black piec e o r arres t her , it
came t o th e sam e thing " (199) , reveals tha t h e is used t o findin g
his sexua l gratificatio n wit h blac k wome n an d tha t h e doe s no t
mind misusing his official authorit y in order to make them comply
with hi s wishes. For th e Jess e o f th e presen t actio n sexual excite-
ment i s closel y linke d wit h pain , fear , som e indistinc t memories ,
and a belief in the sexual superiority o f black people.
When durin g th e firs t flashbac k Jess e tortures his black prisoner
he suddenl y feel s "tha t peculia r excitemen t whic h refuse d t o b e
released" (201 ) an d begin s "t o hur t al l over " (201) . When he hits
his victi m i n th e testicle s h e feel s "ver y clos e t o a very peculiar ,
particular joy" (202) , and "something deep in him and deep in his
memory wa s stirred, but whatever was in his memory eluded him"
(202). Torturin g hi s prisone r give s Jess e a n erection , bu t h e also
feels "a n ic y fea r ris e in him " (204) , and when he beats the black
man wh o appear s t o hi m a s "a goddam n bull " (202) , "fo r som e
reason, h e grabbe d hi s privates " (202) , a n instinctiv e gestur e o f
defense reminiscent of that in the preceding scene. Here, again, the
same syndrom e ca n b e observed : fo r Jesse , th e sadist , sexua l
excitement i s linke d wit h th e notio n o f blac k skin , accompanie d
by fear , release d b y violence , an d relate d t o som e indistinc t
memory.
It is the lynchin g scen e that provide s a n accoun t o f the genesis
of thi s syndrome . Jesse, the eight-year-ol d boy , is "full o f excite -
ment" (208 ) lik e al l th e othe r spectators . H e i s "a t onc e ver y
happy an d a little afraid" (212) , and when he looks at the body of
the victim , whic h fo r hi m i s "the mos t beautifu l an d terribl e ob -
ject" (216) , he feel s " a joy h e had never felt before" (216). When
watching th e castratio n "i n terror " (215 ) h e feel s "hi s scrotu m
tighten" (216) . Thus the firs t sexua l awakenin g o f th e whit e bo y
is connected wit h the violent emasculation of a black man, and the
idea of the black man's dangerous and enviable potency is unforget-
178
tably implanted in the child's mind. Al l the grown-u p participant s
in th e gruesom e ritual ar e sexually aroused — the radiant eyes and
open mout h o f Jesse' s mothe r (cf . 216 ) prove thi s as well as his
father's tongu e an d th e ligh t i n hi s eye s (cf . 213 ) — an d whe n
Jesse's parents com e home, they engage in a lovemaking for which
the lynchin g serve s a s a kin d o f stimulatin g foreplay , whil e th e
child in the adjoining room is "terribly afraid," "frightened" (209),
and ful l o f "fear " (210 ) becaus e o f wha t h e has seen an d i s now
listening to.
Jesse, the impotent husban d i n the marriage bed, pays the price
for Jesse , th e sadisti c tormento r i n th e priso n cell , and bot h ac t
out th e pathologicall y disturbe d attitude s onc e acquire d by Jesse,
the terrifie d chil d at the lynching. The vague and indistinct mem -
ories which puzzled the sherif f i n th e firs t an d secon d scen e can
now b e located, an d th e child' s feelin g "tha t his father [b y taking
him t o th e lynching ] ha d
carrie d hi m throug h a mighty test , had
revealed t o hi m a great secre t whic h woul d b e the ke y t o his lif e
forever" (217 ) ha s com e tru e wit h a vengeance . Wha t Jess e ha s
acquired i n hi s shockin g initiatio n i s an utterly disease d attitud e
toward sexualit y linke d wit h a peculiar mixtur e o f contemp t fo r
and env y o f blac k people . Fo r hi m Negroe s are "n o bette r tha n
animals" (200) , ar e "blac k stinkin g coons " (198) stigmatize d b y
racial characteristic s lik e stron g bod y odour , "kinky , greas y hair"
(200) an d "fa t lips " (200). But the y ar e also "pretty good at that
[i.e. sex]" (199), have testicles tha t ar e "th e larges t thing " (216),
and seem to be "goddamn bull[s] " (202). Thu s they ar e objects of
scorn an d contemp t a s well as of env y an d secret admiration. But
one canno t env y an d despis e th e sam e peopl e a t th e sam e time,
and so Jesse has to sort out his feelings by destroying the threatening
potency o f blac k me n an d enjoyin g th e sexua l prowess o f blac k
women, b y acceptin g ol d an d sexuall y n o longe r activ e Black s as
'good niggers ' — o f "som e o f th e ol d women " an d " a fe w o f th e
old men " h e knows "that the y were singing for mercy for his soul,
too" (204) — and by rejecting young and sexually dangerous Blacks
as 'bad niggers' — it is the "young people" (204) who have changed
the word s o f th e song s an d ar e "singin g whit e peopl e int o hell "
(205). Suc h a doubl e standard , however , canno t b e emotionall y
sustained; the peculiar mixture of aggression and suffering, violence
and fear , env y an d contemp t corrupt s th e mind , an d thu s finall y
the victimize r turn s ou t t o b e th e victi m o f hi s ow n obsession ,
179
the man who debases others is found t o debase himself.
Jesse's contradictor y sexua l attitude s ar e parallele d b y other ,
even mor e obviou s contradictions . The man wh o bear s the ironi -
cally inappropriat e nam e o f th e fathe r o f King David and ancestor
of Jesus, who takes himself to be "a good man, a God-fearing man"
(199), an d wh o seriousl y believe s tha t "Go d wa s th e sam e fo r
everyone" (204) , daily sins against the basic tenets of Christianity,
does no t lov e hi s neighbou r i f h e i s black , reject s th e ide a o f a
