Author James Baldwin explores the intimate connections among sexuality, violence, and race in US society. The author communicates a powerful message about life—especially but not exclusively in the 1960s—as he shows how ideas about sexual domination and racial domination are manifested through violence. By using a white police officer as the main character, Baldwin explicitly connects state-sanctioned violence with individual actions rather than treating personal choices as anomalies that go against social norms.

The action takes place in a bedroom but includes vivid images of public spectacles. Jesse, the police officer, wakes up in a confused mental state. Lying in bed with his wife, part of his mind is on his activities in what he sees as maintaining the peace. He is involved in restricting the demonstrations that African Americans are conducting as part of their quest for equal rights. He opposes both the activities and the goals. In Jesse’s mind, his legal right to conduct violent repression is connected with his memories of seeing other white men castrate a Black man.

Jesse further mixes up present and past by asserting his domination of his wife. Violent thoughts are apparently a necessary condition of his sexual arousal, and he seems to believe he has unrestricted rights of sexual access to his wife.