 Much like how the Oedipal father figure represents the threat of castration, the stereotype of black men's sexual prowess—figuring in the description of the man's penis being "much bigger than his father's"—informs both Jesse's fear of empowering blacks as well as his perverse desire "to be" black.As such, "Going to Meet the Man" suggests that Jesse's racism is so deep-seated that not only does it structure his political worldview, but his entire personality.This type of racism is difficult to overcome, and it is in this way that Baldwin dramatizes the idea that what has happened to Southern whites is actually worse than what has happened to Southern blacks.