Why was the boy’s grandfather defeated?

Baldwin writes in this letter to his nephew that the latter may be like his grandfather in that he didn't want anyone to think that he was soft. He tells his nephew that his grandfather is dead and never knew him, and what was more is that he had a terrible life. He writes that the boy's grandfather was defeated long before he was dead, and that was the reason he became a minister. Baldwin says that the boy's grandfather was defeated because he began to truly and earnestly believe everything that the white man said about him. He tells his nephew that he can only really be destroyed by believing that he is what the white world says he is, and that he tells him this because he loves him.

Part of a collection of essays, "My Dungeon Shook" is written in the form of a letter from the author, James Baldwin, to his nephew. Early in the letter, Baldwin comments on the similarities between his brother and his nephew. Just as they have physical similarities, Baldwin also describes both of them as being "truculent," a quality he also attributes to his stepfather. Referring to his stepfather, his nephew's grandfather, Baldwin says, "he was defeated long before he died because, at the bottom of his heart, he really believed what white people said about him." In other words, his stepfather allowed the words and beliefs of others to impact his life in a negative way. Baldwin is warning his nephew not to listen to or be affected by those words that "defeated" his stepfather. He believes that perhaps his stepfather, a strict disciplinarian, became so "holy" because of his suffering at the beliefs of racists. Baldwin advises his nephew that he "can only be destroyed" if he believes what the "white world" says about him.