Queer Sexuality
Baldwin normalizes queer sexuality in Another Country, portraying it in all of its various, beautiful permutations. Male characters who identify as gay still sleep with women; characters who identify as straight sleep with their same-sex friends or hustle with same-sex clients for money. Queerness is a part of one's identity, immutable and inherent. This does not mean that being queer in a repressive, retrograde society is easy; many of the characters struggle to be honest with themselves about what their same-sex attraction means, and, in Rufus's case, suffer extreme anguish and turn their feelings into homophobia. But Baldwin insists that one's move towards self-enlightenment must countenance all facets of one's identity, and queerness is a very real part of that.
Racism in Interracial Relationships
Baldwin suggests that racism plays a major role within interracial relationships. Call it white guilt, perhaps, when the white member of an interracial relationship is driven, perhaps unconsciously, into an interracial relationship by desires that may have something less to do with love and something more to do with proving a social point, or fulfilling some deep, "exotic" desire. The obverse sometimes hold true for Blacks involved with whites as they may unconsciously be driven at some level to seek out such partners in part as a way of subverting authority and engaging in active rebellion against societal norms and conventions. Baldwin is hardly suggesting that interracial relationships are not primarily guided by the same romantic convictions as any other, but he does insist that there is always some level of racial tension at work that may or may not even be recognized by the participants.
City of the Damned
The book is as much about New York City as it is about the inhabitants. In fact, few narratives paint a broader portrait of New York than does Another Country; part of the reason why it does feel like it takes place in another country. The stories that unfold provide a view of the Big Apple from just about every perspective: from rooftops to cellars and from bridges to balconies with just about every imaginable structure in between playing host. Most important, wherever the footsteps of these characters are heard tapping and from whatever perspective the rest of the city plays out before them, all these characters appear to be damned to exist in the hell that is the city. New York is given its majesty, to be sure, but overlaid atop all that majesty is the near certainty that for the overwhelming majority, its streets are really just boulevards of shattered dreams and dashed hopes.
Suffering and Self-Knowledge
Baldwin suggests that the path to self-knowledge is through suffering. Suffering makes us confront the deepest recesses of our psyche, makes us engage with the memories and traumas that have made us who we are. It forces us to acknowledge mistakes and ways we have hurt ourselves and others, and to understand why we have constructed a carapace over our fragile self. It necessitates being honest, vulnerable, forgiving, and patient. The characters in the novel attempt to move through their suffering, some getting further than others, and by doing so, provide a template for the reader to consider the very same thing for themselves.
Desire
Desire exists in myriad ways in the text—sexual desire, desire for love or understanding, desire for success, desire for self-annihilation, desire for revenge. It can be consuming, and Baldwin suggests that while it is normal, it can also be dangerous. Pursuing one's desire is very human, and its attainment can be gratifying, but it is important to be cognizant of the sacrifices that might be made along the way, such as one's own sanity, health, or relationships.
Memories
Many of the characters struggle with memories of things that happened to them or that they engaged in when they were younger—Rufus's time in the military, Vivaldo and his friends' abuse of a queer boy, Eric's time with LeRoy and Henry. These are confusing memories, ones that point to something in their identities that is inscrutable or unwelcome. Only by facing these memories head-on can these characters grow.
Art
Many of the characters have an art that they pursue—singing (Ida), music (Rufus), writing (Vivaldo), acting (Eric). This art, when approached with an honest, open heart, can be energizing, sustaining, and revivifying. For Black people in particular it is a way to pour one's rage and pain into a form that exists not just for oneself but for others—it educates and empathizes and inspires. When Rufus, for example, abandons his art, he becomes so adrift that he cannot pull himself back to society and sanity, and eventually kills himself.
