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Love Exposed In James Baldwin's If Beale Street Could Talk

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A world full of hatred, lies, and discrimination can make life a bit

unbearable. Nevertheless, as it is demonstrated in "If Beale Street Could Talk", by James

Baldwin, if one possesses the power of love one can withstand almost anything that comes his or

her way. This does not mean simply having love between a man and a woman; but also having

parental and even human love. If someone has love from all three sources, then the

world wouldn't seem as bad as people make it out to be.

The narrator of this sumptuous novel is Clementine Rivers, also known as Tish. The

beginning of the story starts with Tish going to visit her significant other, Alonzo Hunt, who also

goes by the nickname Fonny. He unfortunately has been incarcerated for …show more content…

Tish went to the jail to let Fonny know that she is three months

pregnant. Both Fonny and Tish were pretty excited about the news. The fact that they were not

married was not a bother to them. In fact, this news made them want to strive for Fonny's

release even more. Unfortunately, that was not so easy. Like any young adult, Tish was

overwhelmed with concerns. Her main concern her child’s father in prison. "I'm going to have

this baby and I'm scared, too, and I don't want anything to happen to my baby's father,

don't let him die in prison, oh, please!" (Baldwin 8)

Tish telling Fonny that she was pregnant was no big deal. She knew that he loved her too

much to leave. On the other hand, telling her family and Fonny's family was another

challenge. She had no idea how they were going to react. There was of course always

the possibility that her family was going to accept the baby, and they did. On the other

hand, Fonny's family was completely different. Her carrying the baby would be no big a deal to

them, but her getting pregnant without being married goes against their Christian beliefs.

Tish telling them really showed their true colors. This showed how much they really …show more content…

Fonny's only hope in winning this case was his alibi and hopefully his lawyer;

who eventually became close with Tish’s family. He tried everything in his power to

help release Fonny and keep the cost down. But they did not succeed. Fonny was eventually

released on bail after multiple family members took on extra jobs, and his father began stealing

goods from work to sell. Once Fonny was released everyone thought everything could go back to

normal; but they were mistaken. The only question left to ask, would Fonny be proven innocent

or guilty?

While Tish was down and all hope was lost, it was love that helped her overcome

adversity. For example having her father's love and support the entire time. She recalls him

saying to her,

"Get that baby here, safe and sound. We'll get Fonny out of jail. I promise."(Baldwin 134)

Also the memories of Fonny kept her going. Fonny was always there for her, to love her, to

care for her, and to protect her. Tish carrying a child and Fonny being in

jail, made her realize just how much she actually loved and why they both fell for each

other. The love that Tish had is what kept her believing that things could get

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