Go Tell It On The Mountain

Go Tell It On The Mountain is a semi-autobiographical novel written my James Baldwin.



Author Biographical Information
James Baldwin was born in Harlem, New York on August 2, 1924 and died on November 30, 1987. He was the oldest of nine children. He had shown a great intrest in reading in his earlier years of childhood. He had a gift for writing which he demonstated in his years of schooling. After he gradutated from DeWitt Clinton high school, his college career was put on hold to support his family. he had seen first hand how people reacted to him being an African-American. Sadly James never knew his biological father. His step father, David Baldwin, was very abusive towards him. At the age of 14, James became a preacher at the Fireside Pentecostal Church in Harlem. In 1948 James decided he needed a break and chose his primary home in Southern France. He visited the U.S.A regularly to be a part in lectures or to teach. Though he moved to France for his psychological needs, he couldn't help but notice how white Americans continued looked at him and other black Americans alike.

Setting: Historical Information
The setting of this novel is in Harlem, New York. This has great significance because this is also where the author, James Baldwin, was born. The way he writes John's life is like writing in a diary. James Baldwin was born in harlem, never knew his biological father, and had an abusive step father. All those things interlock with John's life.

Genre
A semi-autobiogrophy is not the easiest to explain. The Protagonist of the story has some type of relation to the author. Whether that be behavior, personality, or life style. In Go Tell It On The Mountain the protagonist, John Grimes, is related to James Baldwin by his lifestyle. Just like James John had an abusive step father and younger children he helped look after.

Plot Summary
The story opens up in a small town on John's 14th birthday. The first chapter introduces his family with a strict religious background. It is shown to the reader the Gabriel has a hatred for his step son. John believes this man to be his real father and can't understand why he acts the way he does to his own son. Though Gabriel gives all his love to his real son Roy who is a trouble maker and nowhere near as well behaved as John. as the story progresses the author transitions to the earlier life of John's family. In Gabriel's younger years he was quite the troublemaker just like Roy. That is until he went to church for his dying mother. He met a very religious woman named Deborah who he later married. Though during his marriage he is distraught by his own thoughts. He invites an unmarried unreligious woman to church whos name is Esther. He also works with her has helpers for a family. Gabriel then makes the greatest mistake of his life and cheats on his wife. Come to find out that Esther is pregnant he refuses to believe it is his. Esther leaves town and leaves Gabriel to constantly think of the wrong he has done. Everywhere he goes he sees people and wonder if they know what he's done. He tried to continue as if nothing happened. He watched His son Royal grow up. While Debroah lays in bed sick she reveals to Gabriel that Royal had died in a knife fight and that she had known all along that he was Gabriels son. After Deborah's death Gabriel marrys a second time to a woman named Elizabeth. She had met his sister shortly after she gave birth to john. Gabriel brought her back to her religous faith and helped her find the right path again. He then has three other children of his own with her a son, Roy, and a daughter, sarah.

Characters
John Grimes - John is the protagonist of the story. He is the step-son of Gabriel and can't quite understand why the man he calls his father can't love him like the other children. He is a confused and innocent boy.

Gabriel Grimes - Gabriel is John's step-father. He is a religious man who once had a sinful side in his younger years. He's a combination of religion and sin.

Elizabeth Grimes - Elizabeth is Gabriel's second wife. She is the biological mother of John and seems to be the only one in the family that cares about him. She is a very loving and religious woman.

Roy Grimes - Roy is John's younger brother. He has a sinful attitude just like his father had at his age. He can't understand why his father beats him so much for simple wrong doings. Though it's only because his father doesn't want him to grow up and be a bad person. He's sinful, wild, and free.

Sarah and Ruth Grimes - Sarah is the child under Roy and Ruth is just a baby who can't even speak yet. They are very young and oblivious to anything that goes on around them.

Florence Grimes - Florence is Gabriel's only sister. When they were younger she lived with her mother in a white family's home. Her mother worked for them and died there. Florence left her home with her mother on her death bed so she could have a chance at a different life. She is a stong and willful person.

Rachel - Rachel is Florence and Gabriel's mother. She is the reason for Gabriel turning his life around. Before she died she made Gabriel promise to her that he would walk in the teachings of the Lord and no longer live a life of sin.

Ester - Ester is the woman who Gabriel has an affair with on his first wife. She becomes pregnant with his child and moves to another town.

Royal- Royal was John's first son. He was the product of the affair Gabriel had with Ester. He later grows up and dies in a fight at a young age.

Elisha - Elisha is the minister at the church the Grimes family attends. He also plays the piano for the church and is John's mentor.

Deborah - Deborah is Gabriel's first wife. Before she met Gabriel she had been raped by a group of white men. She was always there to support Gabriel when he was preparing to become a preacher.

Richard - Richard is Elizabeth's first love. He is the biological father of John. He commited suicide before he even knew Elizabeth was pregnant.

Author's Style
In the beggining of the story James Baldwin starts in the present day on John Grimes 14th birthday. Thruoghout the story the author uses a flashback techniques to show the reader the life of john's parents before he came to be. Each section contains one persons point of view more than the others.

Examples: "One Sunday at a camp meeting, when Gabriel was twelve years old and was to be baptized, Deborah and Florence stood on the banks of a river along with all the other folks and watched him. Gabriel had not wished to be baptized. The thought had frightened and angered him." (Pg.74 Prt.2 Ch1)

This portion of the story is way before Gabriel becomes a preacher at his own church. He wasn't afraid of God or what might happen to him after he dies. Though when the story transitions back to the present Gabriel is scared to do anything that might go against God.

Setting
The setting of this book is in the town of Harlem, New York. Though the book does use a flashback technique to different settings. Also another main source of the setting is the churches. The church is the place where everything religious happens. The place where Gabriel met his first wife Deborah. It's also where he invited Ester to come after he took an attraction to her. It's the center ground on which he wants to raise his children and raise them right. The church is where all hatred and hurt can be released.

Themes
"The Belief in God can overcome any obstacle." When Gabriel decided to release his soul to the Lord his life started to go on the right track. His love for God and his promise to his mother lead him to become a well known preacher.

"Looks can be deceiving." Roy just can't understand why his father beats him so much when he does something wrong. He sometimes think his father doesn't love him and that is the reason for the beatings. Though he is so very wrong. His father once acting like him and didn't care what happened to him after he died. He was afraid his son would grow up to be a sinner and wanted to protect him from that.

"Love can sometimes be hard to find." John is denied the love of the man he has called dad since he was born. He doesn't understand why he loves the other children so much more than he does him.

Symbols
One symbol in the story is the title itself. "Go tell it on the Mountain" is sung by many Christians' about the birth of Jesus Christ.

Another symbol is the minister Elisha. He symbolizes the prophet of Isaiah. Throughout the book he encourages John to keep talking to the Lord just like Isaiah encouraged the captives.

Significance of the Opening/Closing Scenes
Opening Scene:

The beggining scene opens up on John Grimes' fourteenth birthday. He's growing up quickly and being a preacher's son the town believes he'll be a great preacher himself. This is a huge expectation to live up to. He can't even get the love from a man he calls his father. How is he supposed to gain the love and faith in God that is needed to become a great preacher. That's more weight on a fourteen year old boy than anything else.

Closing Scene:

Memorable Quotes
“But he saw only details: two great eyes, and a broad, low forehead, and the triangle of his nose, and his enormous mouth, and the barely perceptible cleft in his chin, which was, his father said, the mark of the devils’ little finger.” (pg. 23)

This gives the reader a description of what john looks like, which makes it easier for the reader to visualize him and connect better with him. Also gives us some insight on how his father views him. “His first thought, nevertheless, was: “will anyone remember?” for it happened, once or twice, that his birthday had passed entirely unnoticed, and no one had said “Happy Birthday, Johnny,” or given him anything-not even his mother. (pg.12)

The author is saying that Johns birthday doesn’t always seem very important, also that sometimes John is less recognized than the other kids. “I got a letter the other day,” she said, bring the food to the table, “His wife, poor ailing soul, done passed on, and he thinking about coming north.” (pg.212)

In this Florence is finally deciding to let Elizabeth know about her brother, and this is important because it helps show how much Florence really dislikes her brother. “Sister Elizabeth,” he said, “The Lord’s been speaking to my heart, and I believe it’s His will that you and me should be man and wife.” And he paused ; she said nothing. His eyes moved over her body. (pg.222) This shows how much he truly loves her and he wants to spend the rest of his life with her as his husband. Also shows that he accepts john as his son even if he isn’t. And a voice, for the first time in all his terrible journey, spoke to john, through the rage and weeping, and fire, and darkness, and flood, “Yes,” said the voice, “go through. Go through.” (pg.238) This shows the struggle of John and how he could only be saved with the help of the Lord and his own will and faith.

Allusions
An allusion is a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize. James Baldwin uses this technique in his novel Go Tell It On The Mountain.

Examples:

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish but should have everlasting life.” (Pg. 24)

The author assumes that when this passage is read that most people will immediately know the quote from the bible.