Insight Spring 2021

Contrasting Viewpoints of Power in The Fire Next Time Mia Bocian ’23 James Baldwin’s vivid descriptions of his life in Harlem in The Fire Next Time reflect the constant, tangible presence of power in both racial and religious contexts. An examination of these experiences through the critical lens of power, informed by the contrasting theories of Marx and Foucault, initiates discussion of the complexity of this concept and how it is intertwined throughout society. The text represents a touching coming of age story in which Baldwin confronts power in different forms, both negative and positive, as characterized by Prothero in his analysis as “toxic” and “tonic” (Prothero 9-10). He struggles with racist societal forces and a skewed power dynamic. Despite Baldwin’s attempts to evade the rigid power imbalance between races as described by Marx, he instead encounters a different sort of authoritative dynamic in the Christian church, reflected in the ideas of Foucault, ultimately attesting to the impossibility of truly escaping the confines of power.

In discussing power, Marx suggests an absolute division between two societal entities: the oppressor and the oppressed. He asserts that religion is a means to maintain and extend this existing construct of inequity. Malory Nye states that, according to Marx, religion “gives legitimacy to a set of power relations, and makes the rule by one group over another appear ‘natural’ and unquestionable” (Nye 59). His analysis reflects a rigid opposition between two groups, which parallels Baldwin’s discussion of both race and religion in The Fire Next Time. To start, Baldwin bluntly summarizes the racial power dynamic in Harlem, writing that “this world is white and they are black. White people hold the power, which means that they are superior to blacks” (25). Such a jarring statement is universally accepted as the status quo, and defying any aspect of these societal norms would disrupt the stark imbalance between races, with harmful and dangerous consequences for the black population. In fear of this reality, Baldwin flees to the church in order to escape the suffocating constraints of race yet ironically encounters a similar power hierarchy. Both Baldwin and Marx examine religion’s justification of this profound inequality. Baldwin recognizes the role of Christianity in validating this racial hierarchy through his claim that “God decreed it so” (25). In this way, religion endorses the unjust 22