Although Baldwin once described his stepfather as the only man he ever hated, he has admitted on several occasions that he both loved and hated, respected and despised this man whose unabashed love he was never able to win. Nevertheless, Baldwin's ambivalent relationship with his stepfather served as a constant source of tension during his formative years and informs some of his best mature writings. David Baldwin became a model for Gabriel Grimes, a central character in
Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953), and his death and funeral are vividly described in the essay "Notes of A Native Son."
The marriage between David Baldwin and Emma Jones produced eight children whose care fell primarily to young Jimmy Baldwin. The demands of caring for younger siblings and his stepfather's repressive religious convictions in large part shielded the boy from the harsh realities of Harlem street life during the 1930s. White racism and mistreatment, drugs, alcohol, and social and economic exploitation were real dangers endemic to the environment of the Baldwin family. The family's personal situation, of course, was complicated by the general misfortune of the Depression years. Baldwin was nevertheless able to expand his world through reading, an activity which he found compatible with his babysitting chores.
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