Does being inside mean hetero normativity, American identity, and masculinity? Does being outside correspond to homosexuality, exile?

James Baldwins novel Giovannis Room sets up a dichotomy (or difference, division) between those who are inside and those who are outside the norm. David reflects: Those walls, those shuttered windows held them in and protected them against the darkness and the long moan of this long night. Ten years hence, little Jean Pierre or Marie might find themselves out here beside the river and wonder, like me, how they had fallen out of the web of safety (104). Write a paper in which you examine Davids self-positioning in the inside/outside divide, described in the above quote, through a close reading of the text. Argue whether, by the end of the novel, Davids quest for a place inside the web of safety brings him closer to finding his true identity.

NOTE: First you should consider what the terms inside and outside mean, in the context of this novel, and decide how you are going to use them in your paper. What is inside the web of safety? What is outside the web of safety? What IS the web of safety for David? Make sure that you clearly explain this in your paper. Does being inside mean hetero normativity, American identity, and masculinity? Does being outside correspond to homosexuality, exile? But then again, David feels like an outsider in both the US and France, so things are more complicated than they seem. Is Giovannis room, where David stays for a while, a place where David feels inside or outside the web of safety? Is the room a place that isolates him from normal society, or a safe haven where he can be himself? (Consider the room as a metaphor). And what about the gay bar where Giovanni works, or the apartment in the South of France that David shares with Hella? Does David feel like an outsider when he is in these places? Think about where and why David feels isolated, different, like a fish out of water. Think about what David believes would bring him closer to being inside the web of safety. Is Davids wish to be and remain in the inside achievable, realistic? What price does he have to pay in order to stay in the inside? Can he ultimately succeed in his quest for normalcy? Is his journey bringing him closer to accepting himself? (Remember that this paper should be about David; you can discuss other characters but only in relation to David)