Go Tell it on the Mountains Novel
James Baldwin is a famous American novelist and poet who addressed complexities at the heart of America. In 1953, James Baldwin published his first novel, “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” to express the experiences of African-Americans residing in the United States. In the book, James narrates the story of a young boy whose life becomes more complex as he interacts with relatives. The author emphasizes the theme of religion and racism. “Go Tell It on the Mountain” is a famous novel written by James Baldwin, who used different styles of narration to confront different themes and how they impact on people.
James Baldwin does not use the standard style of narration while narrating the stories in the novel “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” Most of the novelists develop their ideas and characters sequentially as the novel’s plot advances, which is considered as the standard style of narration (Zhao, 89). However, in “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” the author uses flashback to give the reader insights of John’s aunt during John’s birthday. The ideas in the past decades in the novel were critical to the author. James Baldwin, in the story, was more interested in the characters behind the persona’s behavior. James believed that somebody’s character is significantly influenced by the characters and the events surrounding the person. Therefore, James Baldwin used flashbacks so that the audience can understand and relate how a particular character reacts to a situation with past events. The frame story was used in the novel to allow the audience to discover information by themselves instead of surprising the audience with the information. The author uses suspense to attract the attention of the audience.
The narration by James Baldwin educates the audience on how religion affects the daily activities in society. Religion is an essential aspect for every human being as it shapes the values possessed by people (Summaries, 190). In the novel “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” religion is the central theme. James Baldwin uses John as the protagonist. The protagonist is named after the biblical John the Baptist. At the adolescent stage, John lived a sinful life. However, at an old age, John became adhered to Christianity. Therefore, both John, the protagonist, and the biblical John the Baptist exhibit the same character traits. The author used comparisons between his stories and biblical stories throughout the entire novel. The novel’s title, go tell it on the mountain, is a song that is usually sung during the birth of Jesus Christ among the Christians. Through the protagonist’s life cycle, James Baldwin educates the audience on the wrath of God towards sinners. Also, the later life of John demonstrates how God forgives those who repent their sins. However, James portrays how religion can be a source of violence in society.
The novel “Go Tell It on the Mountain” is critical on Christianity and demonstrates how Christianity is used to justify wrong actions. In the novel, John’s father is Gabriel. Gabriel is a preacher in one of the affiliated Christian churches called Harlem church. Gabriel is a teacher of God’s word, and the author describes him as “the ambassador of King of Heaven.” John can only access God’s grace through his father, who is defined as the gatekeeper of God (Baldwin, 16). However, John does not like his father. John is always pissed by his father’s outbursts. Gabriel is abusive, drunkard, womanizer, and treats his son arrogantly. Gabriel’s sister, who is aware of Gabriel’s life history, claims that Gabriel does not possess the values to be a preacher. James Baldwin uses Gabriel in the novel “Go Tell It on the Mountain” to show how Christianity can turn out to be a source of violence and cruelty. While Gabriel was a young boy, he was reluctant to be baptized. Biblically, all Christians should be baptized for their sins to be forgiven. Gabriel’s mother, Rachael, beat Gabriel for refusing to be baptized until he could not stand. After the beating, Rachael started praying for God for the healing of his son. According to the author, Rachael abused her child in the name of Christian discipline. James Baldwin uses this example in the novel to clarify how Christianity is used to justify wrong deeds.
James Baldwin uses the novel to warn the audience of the long-term effects of discrimination and racism. Before the civil war, African-Americans were subjected to slavery, racism, and discrimination. Rachael, who was a black American, endured suffering for being a slave for thirty years Rachael and the other slaves were subjected to beating and abuse because of their black race. Rachael was working for long hours for her masters, and she was only given leftovers to eat. Also, Rachael was raped by her masters, and even her children were sold (Maxwell, 67). After the civil war and the abolishment of slavery, the consequences of slavery continued to haunt Rachael’s family. Florence hates his brother Gabriel he is black. Florence decides to bleach her skin to please her husband. James Baldwin used this example to shown hoe racism has become deep-rooted among the Americans. The black Americans believe they are less fortunate, as in the case of Florence, where she thought that one could not be black and beautiful at the same time.
Although James Baldwin depicts Christianity is a negative manner, he still acknowledges the importance of Christianity (Gale, 345). Christian teachings enable most of the characters in the “Go Tell It on the Mountain” to endure suffering. Rachael was able to overcome the challenges she faced during the slavery era because of her unshakable faith towards God. At the climax of the novel by James Baldwin, undergoes spiritual transformation and gets saved. John believes that as long as he has faith in God, he will have eternal life in the end. Faith in God gives John hope, and he starts to live a fruitful and meaningful life. Therefore, although James negatively portrays Christianity, he does not deny the fact that salvation brings comfort and hope in the world full of suffering and challenges.
In the “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” the author describes the experiences of black Americans is an explicit manner. The author believes that to understand the character of an individual, it is important to recount the past experiences of the person. As a result, the author does not adhere to the traditional linear type of narration but uses a different approach with extended flashback episodes. Religion and racism are outstanding themes in the novel by James Baldwin. Although the author believes Christianity brings hope to the world full of pain, he also portrays the negativity of Christianity. The author narrates how Christianity is used to justify wrongdoers, which challenges all Christians. Thus, the novel by James is relevant to the current generation as it induces a sense of humanity to the audience.
Works Cited
Baldwin, James. Go Tell it on the Mountain. Vol. 371. Everyman’s Library, 2016.
Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for James Baldwin’s” Go Tell It on the Mountain”. Gale, Cengage Learning, 2016.
Maxwell, William J., ed. James Baldwin: The FBI File. Skyhorse, 2017.
Summaries, Bright. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide. Bright Summaries. com, 2019.
Zhao, Y. “The Narrative Techniques in the Portrait of a Lady.” English Language and Literature Studies (2016): 89.