"Going to Meet the Man" and "This Morning, This Evening, So Soon," are contrasting pieces from the same 1965 short story collection, which takes its overall title from the former story. There are various contrasts between the two, the most obvious being that the former takes the perspective of a white man in America, while the latter uses that of a Black man returning from long residence in France. The second of these viewpoints is similar to Baldwin's own, since he traveled to France at the age of 24 and lived there for much of his life. The impact of emigration on his life has been much discussed in academic writing on Baldwin, as well as in more strictly biographical work.

A topic which would encompass both stories might deal with the way in which Baldwin depicts White racism as rendering it impossible for Black people to live in America unless they accept an inferior and subservient position. This links Jesse's treatment of Black demonstrators in "Going to Meet the Man" with the narrator's trepidation about returning to the United States, and his memories of being humiliated and exploited there in "This Morning, This Evening, So Soon." You could use Baldwin's own experiences to illustrate this thesis, comparing them with those Jesse inflicts on others in one story, and those which the narrator suffers in the other.