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Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone is James Baldwin's fourth novel, first published in 1968.
[edit] Plot introduction
Leo Proudhammer, an African American actor who grew up in Harlem and later moved into Greenwich Village, has a heart attack while on stage. Later he has an affair with Barbara, who was Jerry's girlfriend. Eventually Leo goes out with Christopher, but Barbara seduces Christopher to get even. Finally they all forgive one another, and the two black men go to an activist talk where the use of guns is condoned.
[edit] Characters
- Leo Proudhammer, the protagonist. He is an actor who grew up in Harlem.
- Leo's father
- Caleb, Leo's brother.
- Barbara, a white girl from Kentucky.
- Jerry, a white man of Italian extraction.
- Christopher, a young African American activist.
[edit] Major themes
- Homosexuality
- Racism. Among other issues, the novel touches upon the mathematics of blood in racism[1], when Caleb Proudhammer says, "Our mama is almost white, but that don't make her white. You got to be all white to be white."[2].
[edit] Literary significance and criticism
The novel has been criticised for its inappropriate use of the first person singular, its cardboard characters and its glorification of Leo as an Uncle Tom figure.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Lee Edelman, Homographesis: essays in gay literary and cultural theory, Routledge, New York & London, 1994, page 44
- ^ James Baldwin, Tell Me How Long The Train's Been Gone, New York:Dell Publishing, 1969, page 47
- ^ New York Times, Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone by Mario Puzo, June 23, 1968 [1]
