Read this passage from "Notes of a Native Son," in which the narrator reflects on his father: In my mind's eye I could see him, sitting at the window, locked up in his terrors; hating and fearing every living soul including his children who had betrayed him, too, by reaching toward the world which had despised him. In what way does this scene show one of the central ideas of James Baldwin's essay

James Baldwin, in his essay used the above scene to describe his father's dislike of white people. The scene communicated a central idea that his father disliked white people. The scene revealed the internal state of his father towards every individual around him, especially the whites.

Explanation:

James Baldwin has seen the attitude of the white population wearing away his confidence. He discovered that he shared that similarity with his father when he stated, "locked up in his terrors; hating and fearing every living soul."

He becomes blinded by hatred that he thought he could kill someone. His experiences in New Jersey gave him an understanding of his father's hatred for white people. Baldwin's father never trusted any white person; he stated that some could be nice but that they are never to be trusted.