Go Tell It On the Mountain
(James Baldwin)

Religion

Religion is a main theme in this novel, as the saving of John on his birthday is the center of the plot. Religion is used, in this case, as a means of saving people who have sinned. Rather than being something to believe in and something to look forward to in life, as religion often is, in this case it seems to be a means to forgive oneself for the sins of their pasts.

Gabriel seeks forgiveness form God for the rebellion of his youth, and also for his infidelity to Deborah, but not because he feels sorry for what he has done, but because he feels God will be disappointed in him. John tries to use a religious awakening to make his father love him, not realizing that nothing he do will ever make Gabriel love him.

Gabriel is the chief religious figure in the novel, but is the least Jesus-like character in the novel as he is forgiving and kind to no one.

Sin

Religion, in this novel, is a means to wipe away sins. Gabriel and both of his birth sons, Royal and Roy, were rebellious and rowdy with no store for the rules. When Gabriel was saved, and God forgave him, he was allowed to forgive himself, though not able to.

Gabriel instead focused on discriminating against others who had committed sin. He married a woman who had been raped, and another woman who had a bastard child. He cheated on his wife and fathered a child out of wedlock that he never admitted was his own, and he spent all of his time berating others for their sins and never loving anyone other than himself and his own birth sons.

Hypocrisy

Gabriel makes his life as a preacher, whom people profoundly respect. People come from all around to hear Gabriel’s sermons. He helps others to be saved and brings religion into their lives; to save them from the life of sin he once lived.

The problem with Gabriel is that he is a hypocrite. He looks down on those who have sinned as though they are scum and cannot be respected until they have begged for forgiveness, but even after being saved Gabriel continues to sin.

A religious man should be accepting of all people, kind, respectful, and generous, though Gabriel is none of these things. He is bitter, rather mean, and a representation of everything that he hates.

Unconditional Love

There are a few instances of love in the face of difficulty throughout this novel. Elizabeth loves John darned much, despite the fact that Gabriel will not accept him as his own son. She is always kind and loving toward him even when he feels as though she is the only one.

Gabriel loves his son, Royal, though he will not admit that Royal is his until he finds out that he has died. Despite the fact that he fathered Royal out an extramarital affair, he still has love for him. Deborah, who was married to Gabriel when he impregnated Esther, still has love for Gabriel and tells him that she would have raised Royal and loved him as her own had Gabriel just admitted the situation to her.

Racism

In most novels racism reflects a white man’s distaste for blacks, but, in this novel, it is reversed. Gabriel’s mother was a slave, and he has an ingrained hatred for the whites, which he carries with him in throughout life. Despite the fact that he is a preacher, he is not terribly accepting of others. John sees the white people walking around Fifth Avenue and realizes that they probably have a lot of money and with it, no problems. John feels that white people treat him just OK, despite the fact that he has listened to Gabriel speak of the evil of the white man for all of his life.

Family Conflict

Most of the family conflict in this novel centers around Gabriel. He and Florence have never gotten along, mostly because Florence is jealous of their mother’s preferential treatment of Gabriel, despite the fact that he was a problem child. She does not approve of Gabriel’s lifestyle, even after he is saved because he becomes a hypocrite.

Roy does not approve of his father’s views and beliefs, nor his parenting style and often fights with Elizabeth about it. John constantly seeks the approval and love from Gabriel that Roy gets though Roy does not want it. Gabriel never treats John as if he is his own child and never shows any love toward him at all, even after John’s spiritual awakening.

Violence

There is a vast amount of violence portrayed in this novel, particularly with the men who run on Gabriel’s bloodline. Gabriel and his two birth sons, Royal and Roy, are acutely confrontational, reckless, rulebreakers.

Royal ends up dying in a knife fight and at the beginning of the novel we learn that Roy has just been in a knife fight, as Elizabeth is cleaning his cut. Though it is not physical, Gabriel’s refusal to accept John as a part of his family is emotionally abusive to John and causes him much doubt in his life.

Also, Elizabeth’s first love, Richard, took his own life when he felt his reputation had been compromised.

Identity

John’s search for his own identity is the main focus of the plot. John feels as though he does not belong with his family and as if Gabriel does not consider him his son. Little does John know, Gabriel is not his father and will not ever consider John to be his son.

John feels as though he is meant for literary greatness and will have plenty of money and happiness in life for himself and his future family, but he is torn by this idea and the idea of being saved so Gabriel will accept him. John feels as though if he goes to church and is saved by God then Gabriel will finally love him and acknowledge him as his son, perhaps even be proud of him. John is finally saved, creating his identity whether it was the one he wanted or not, but still not loved by Gabriel.

Acceptance

John is accepted by almost everyone in his life, except for Gabriel, who happens to be the one person John strives for acceptance from. As John is people-watching in Central Park, he tells the reader that he is accepted in school, even by the white teachers, who praise him often. He is also unconditionally accepted and loved by his mother. His aunt Florence and the people of the church also show acceptance for John and are proud of his transformation. Brother Elisha is the strongest representation of acceptance in the novel, as he seems to be a truly deitylike character who is accepting of all people as if they are his own family.

Slavery

Though slavery is not an issue in the time the novel is set, the emotional scars and racism that linger from slavery are central to the lives of the older generation of characters. Elizabeth, Gabriel, and Florence all endured some racism and abuse in their lives at the hands of white men.

Gabriel and Florence’s mother was a slave, and her stories caused the siblings to be skeptical of white people for the remainder of their lives. As shown in the novel, black people are often the victims of abuse from white men, which is a direct result of the lasting effects of slavery on the nation as a whole.