Lapenson, Bruce. “Race and Existential Commitment in James 

Baldwin.” Philosophy and Literature, 37.1 (2013): 199-209.

Print.

This articles looks at James Baldwin’s work through an existential lense, relating him to such existentialists as Sartre and Camus.  Lapenson states that Baldwin’s writing is about the need for social equality, his style assuming a “sermonesque tone.”  Connecting Baldwin to existentialism was his rejection of religious belief, which could not put an end to the struggle of African Americans in the United States.  However, Baldwin was not an advocate for political inaction, and he sought to confront the racial issues in America in his writing.  Part of Baldwin’s connection to existentialist thought, too, is his idea that “all of us are products of our shared history,” and he stressed the notion of individual responsibility for oneself and society. Lapenson concludes with Baldwin’s advocacy for love, noting that Baldwin’s writing demonstrated that fear of love fueled the race problem in America.