Go Tell It on the Mountain emphasizes the coming of age of protagonist, John Grimes, and the epiphany that he is met with. Go Tell It on the Mountain is written by James Baldwin, well known for his controverstial essays and novels. John Grimes is the stepson of a minister of a Pentecostal church in Harlem, New York. John is praised, hated, loved, and envied all at the same time, but his innocence is what drives him towards his epiphany. Being naive shields John from the many truths that Harlem holds, examples being the segregation and the racism. James Baldwin tells the readers of the encounters John has with race, religion, and gender. For starters, from the beginning of the story the reader is introduced to the segregation and discrimination
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His father was God's minister, the ambassador of the King of Heaven, and John could not bow before the throne of grace without first kneeling to his father"(20).
Religion is a constant factor in Go Tell It on the Mountain , it damages the lives of characters in the book but it also helps the characters maintain a organized life. John's relationship with his stepfather has hurt the relationship he had with God, Gabriel's abuse and hatred has caused a shift in the faith that John holds dear. Furthermore, James Baldwin writes on the topic of gender in Go Tell It on the Mountain. For example Baldwin writes: "Florence was a girl, and would by and by be married, and have children of her own, and all the duties of a woman; and this being so, her life in the cabin was the best possible preparation for her future life. But Gabriel was a man; he would go out one day into the world to do a man's work, and he needed, therefore, meat, when there was any in the house, and clothes, whenever clothes could be bought, and the strong indulgence of his
His father was God's minister, the ambassador of the King of Heaven, and John could not bow before the throne of grace without first kneeling to his father"(20).
Religion is a constant factor in Go Tell It on the Mountain , it damages the lives of characters in the book but it also helps the characters maintain a organized life. John's relationship with his stepfather has hurt the relationship he had with God, Gabriel's abuse and hatred has caused a shift in the faith that John holds dear. Furthermore, James Baldwin writes on the topic of gender in Go Tell It on the Mountain. For example Baldwin writes: "Florence was a girl, and would by and by be married, and have children of her own, and all the duties of a woman; and this being so, her life in the cabin was the best possible preparation for her future life. But Gabriel was a man; he would go out one day into the world to do a man's work, and he needed, therefore, meat, when there was any in the house, and clothes, whenever clothes could be bought, and the strong indulgence of his