White Innocence
Baldwin continuously refers to the presumed "innocence" of white people, which he identifies as one of the root problems in America. He first references this recurring theme in his letter to James, when he claims that, in regards to white people, “it is the innocence which constitutes the crime.” In other words, white Americans’ presumption of innocence is the “crime” he is accusing them of. Even more than their mistreatment of African Americans, they are to blame for refusing to face this fact. Baldwin later expounds on this theme in his second letter, when he once again brings up white innocence as a problem that must be faced before race relations can improve. He notes that followers of Elijah Muhammad tend to view white men as "devils," or evil incarnate. But he personally sees them as pitiful people, because they live in such deep denial of reality; they do not face their own mortality, or their own horrific actions against others. Baldwin's proposed solution to this issue of white "innocence" is for black people to teach white people to see themselves for who they are: not innocents, but the perpetrators of atrocities. Only once they give up this fantasy of their own innocence can white people work to make America a better, more equal, and more truly free place.
Integration vs Separatism
One of the central issues in Baldwin's text is the dilemma of integration vs separatism. He warns his nephew, James, not to think that to "integration" requires him to simply adhere to white people's standards. Traditionally, "integration" has been thought of as the process of black people adapting to white norms. But Baldwin suggests a different approach to integration: for true reconciliation in the U.S., white people must learn to adjust themselves and their own willfully ignorant worldviews to the realities experienced by African Americans. On the other hand, movements like the Nation of Islam entirely reject the concept of integration in any direction. They advocate for total resistance to white supremacy. This resistance would take the form of violence, separation from America and the formation of their own country, and a refusal to conform to white people's expectations, in general. Baldwin himself advocates for a form of integration, and believes that separatism is ultimately harmful for everyone involved. However, he can understand why so many black people would turn to separatism, given the difficulty of their circumstances and their painful past.
Love and Forgiveness
Baldwin continuously refers to the importance of love and forgiveness. He first counsels his nephew to recognize that he is a product of his parents' love. His parents chose to love him fiercely and devotedly, even though they were fearful for his future and wellbeing when he was born as a black boy in America. Baldwin argues that because of his parents' love, James has a duty to value his own life and persevere in the face of hardship. Baldwin also advocates for a loving and forgiving approach to white people. He does not believe that vengeance or bitterness can resolve the racial issues America faces. Instead, he believes that these issues can only be resolved if black people approach their white countrymen with love, extend them forgiveness for their past atrocities, and attempt to teach them to recognize the ways in which they have erred. But he claims that white people can only be brought around to a more accurate picture of reality if they are guided with love.
Limitations on Mobility
Throughout his two essays, Baldwin often refers to the limitations on mobility that were faced by him and his peers in Harlem. When he turned fourteen years old, he realized that his options in life were very limited: crime, manual labor, athletic or musical performance, or the church. Ultimately, Baldwin would choose the church, but only because he felt so limited in the paths that were open to him. For example, he did not feel that becoming a writer was a feasible goal at the time. Most of his friends also encountered these limitations. Many of them began to drop out of school because they felt that school would never bring them to a higher level of social or economic success than what their fathers had achieved. Baldwin also warns his nephew, James, against the tyranny of these limitations in his first letter. He notes that James will face a number of limits on what he can achieve, simply because of the color of his skin, and acknowledges that this is deeply unfair. But Baldwin ultimately encourages James to fight back against these limitations, just as he eventually chose to fight against them by leaving the church and working for the kind of life he really wanted to have.
Beauty
Baldwin makes much of the idea of beauty. Toward the end of his second essay, he raises this as a major theme of his work. To him, beauty can be found in the struggle and pain experienced by black people in America. Although he does acknowledge all of the hardships faced by his family members and peers, he continuously emphasizes the ways in which there is beauty to be found in their struggle with these hardships. For example, when counseling his nephew, James, against succumbing to defeatism, he emphasizes the beautiful love his parents offered to him the minute he was born. He also recognizes beauty in the dinner gathering he attends with Elijah Muhammad. Ultimately, Baldwin believes that this beauty is part of the answer to America's racial tensions. African Americans must learn to accept and embrace the beauty they can find in their own hardships and their struggling communities. And they must be able to communicate this beauty to white Americans, who cannot see it because they remain in denial about the reality of their country. This beauty would be lost if African Americans turned to vengeance, instead. There is no beauty to be found in violence. But in love and forgiveness, beauty can be spread.
Escapism
Escapism motivates many of Baldwin's actions throughout his text. He describes his embrace of the church as a product of this escapism; he turned to Christianity only because he was seeking to escape from the harsh realities around him in his Harlem neighborhood. For many of his peers, escapism took them in the direction of drug and alcohol abuse, instead. They attempted to deny the difficulties of their circumstances by numbing their senses through these kinds of escapes. Baldwin also characterizes the Nation of Islam movement as one stemming from escapist tendencies: its members turned to this religion in order to escape the repression and sense of inferiority they felt in most areas of their lives. In general, Baldwin condemns escapism as a bad motivation for choosing a particular movement, religion, or distraction. He believes that reality must be faced head-on. He himself eventually leaves the Christian church because he believes it represents a false and unhealthy escape from his real circumstances. He chooses to become a writer, instead, who acknowledges and categorizes the world around him as he really sees it.
Repressed Pain
Many characters in Baldwin's text carry repressed pain. He first references this theme when describing his brother, James' father. He notes that, when his brother was a child, he could always wipe away his tears over little troubles like falling down. But as his brother grew older, he began to recognize that he carried a hidden kind of pain that could not be resolved. It was the pain of his mistreatment and oppression at the hands of white people. It was also a pain that lay hidden behind laughs and smiles, because it was always present even in moments that did contain some joy. Baldwin is later endeared to Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam movement, because he recognizes a similar kind of hidden pain behind his smile. Elijah seems like a joyful man, and yet it is clear that he has experienced some trauma in his life and continues to carry the pain of this around with him. This repressed pain is a recurring theme in this text, which deals with the plight of African Americans in the 1960s, because so many African Americans had experienced great hardships that continued to haunt them throughout their lives.
