Go Tell It on the Mountain Themes

Religion is at the center of James Baldwin’s semiautobiographical novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain. The book’s title is a reference to a popular African American spiritual song about the birth of Jesus, and many of Baldwin’s characters carry biblical connotations and parallels. The novel follows protagonist John—so named for Saint John the Baptist—and his evolution from an adolescent sinner to a saved man of God. Like the Christian Bible, which includes…

As Go Tell It on the Mountain focuses on God and religion, it also examines sin and morality, and sex and sin go hand in hand in Baldwin’s novel. The Old Testament identifies “fornication,” or sex outside of marriage, as a direct sin against God, and this belief is reflected throughout Go Tell It on the Mountain. Sex is a constant threat to the morality of Baldwin’s characters, and those who partake in sex…

Traditional gender roles are clearly defined from the very beginning of James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain. When John attends his Harlem church on Sunday mornings, “the women all seem patient,” and “all the men seem mighty.” Women are considered fragile and dependent upon men, and the men who head the patriarchal families are often cruel and abusive. According to Florence, John’s aunt, “ain’t no woman born that don’t get walked…