The Man Child
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"The Man Child" is a 1965 short story by James Baldwin, taken from the short story collection, Going to Meet the Man.
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[edit] Plot introduction
Eric's parents are celebrating Jamie's birthday.
[edit] Plot summary
It is Jamie's thirty-fourth birthday and he is at Eric's parent's to celebrate. Eric's father upbraids him for being alone, with no wife or children, only a dog and his mother. Then Eric and his father go for a walk, during which Eric learns that all the land around him is his, thanks to his father's self-discipline; Jamie, on the other hand, has lost his. Back at the house, Jamie blows the candles.
Later, after Eric's mother had a miscarriage with a baby the couple had imagined calling either Sophie or Jamie, Eric goes for a walk and runs into Jamie. The latter takes him into a barn and strangles him, whilst his mother is singing in the kitchen.
[edit] Characters
- Eric, eight years old, blond.
- father. He is thirty-two years old.
- mother - pregnant
- Sophie
- Jamie, a neighbour who goes to a local bar, The Rafters, with Eric's father every night. His wife left him and Eric's father bought back his land. He is thirty-four years old.
Jamie is very sad because he is gay and connot find a partner
[edit] Main themes
- loneliness
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