What is a summary of the theme of shame to use for an analytical paper of Giovanni's Room?

Shame is the driving force in David's life and ultimately the cause of the unhappy situation he finds himself in at the end of the story. After his sexual encounter with Joey, which seems perfectly innocent and shameless when it happens, David is disgusted with the act, with himself, and even with Joey. He is still a young man and is afraid of losing his masculinity before he even fully possesses it. He keeps his sexuality a secret, but it still unconsciously influences his decisions. In retrospect, he realizes that his homosexuality led him to Europe where, perhaps, he thought he might find a culture that was more accepting of it. Society is not what is restraining David, however; it is himself, and no matter where he moves, he will carry his own obsession with being "normal" wherever he goes.

He finally gives in to his homosexuality when he meets Giovanni, who is very aggressive in his pursuit of him. They wind up having sex that night and David moves in with him. David realizes that he is happy and even falls in love with Giovanni, but David is unable to completely open up to Giovanni. The specter of Hella's return looms over their relationship, creating anxiety in David, who is unsure what he wants to do, and jealousy in Giovanni, who fears losing David. David must admit that his love for Giovanni is stronger than his love for Hella, but he is so obsessed with being normal, and so ashamed of the "abnormal" lifestyle of being a homosexual, that he eventually decides to be with Hella. However, his guilt over Giovanni's self-destruction is so great that he winds up sneaking away from Hella to have sex with a sailor and, as a consequence, winds up destroying the relationship with Hella, too.