The Importance Of The Mirror In Giovanni's Room

In the final four pages of Giovanni’s Room David likens himself and his situation to that of Giovanni’s, by attempting to separate his mind from his flesh. One specific moment in the final passage of the novel depicts Giovanni as a reflection of David. In this moment, Baldwin writes, “There is a mirror in this room, a large mirror. I am terribly aware of the mirror./ Giovanni’s face swings before me.”(167) This quotation depicts David looking into a mirror, and seeing the unexpected sight of Giovanni’s face flashing before him. In this moment David finally sees himself as a gay man, something he has avoided doing his entire life until this point. Mirrors are symbolic of truth, and seeing into one's mind and soul, the mirror allows and forces
David believes that his body must die because, to him, it represents his homosexuality. In order to fulfill his need to be absolved of sin, David projects his sexuality onto his flesh, and assigns his body to die. David’s death sentence, while not a true j is similar to Giovanni's situation because Baldwin wishes to illustrate their assimilation at the end of the novel. David sentences his body to death to become closer to Giovanni, and distance himself from his own body which he views as dirty. David’s attempts to distance himself from his oflesh, while bringing himself closer to Giovanni’s is illustrated in the description that he gives of his own body saying, “It is lean, hard, and cold, the incarnation of a mystery.”(168) In this quotation David is discussing his body from a third person perspective, as if it is not his own, and as if he wishes to separate it from his