If Beale Street Could Talk Themes

In If Beale Street Could Talk, a novel about the cruelty and injustice that black people face in America, James Baldwin shines a light on the fortifying effects of love. Although the details of her lover’s unfair imprisonment are dispiriting, Tish maintains a sense of hope, thanks to her supportive family members. In turn, she is able to visit Fonny—her fiancé—and give him the same kind of loving encouragement. Following her mother’s advice…

In If Beale Street Could Talk, Baldwin draws a connection between racism and fear, suggesting that bigots use intimidation tactics to suppress black people. Throughout the novel, he portrays fear as something that keeps young African Americans like Fonny and his friend Daniel from addressing their own oppression. What’s more, it becomes clear that this kind of racism is institutionalized, meaning that the structures of power surrounding Fonny and his loved ones actively work…

In many ways, Tish and Fonny’s story in If Beale Street Could Talk is about their fight against time. Throughout the novel, they do what they can to cope with a tense feeling of anticipation, waiting all the while to discover what will happen during Fonny’s trial. This means finding ways to “get from one day to the next” without succumbing to despair. Although they both want Fonny’s trial to happen as soon as…