Go Tell It On The Mountain Analysis

James Baldwin uses the adolescent thoughts of “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” to convey the internal struggle and confusion of a young African-American living in a dominantly white community, attempting to find inner-peace in the affairs of his sexuality, family, and education through the benefits of his religion Through it is no mystery that John Grimes does not adore his home life, John’s disdain is more deeply rooted than at first perceived. His aversion to his family is initially shown on a Saturday in March of 1935, otherwise known to be John’s birthday. John’s mother asks John to do some household chores and John describes his plain home as dirty, infested, narrow, and incapable of alteration or cleanliness. The audience watches John suffer in the shame and repulsion as he conveys to himself that “he who is filthy, let him be filthy still” (Baldwin 22).

John’s indignity to his home connects to his homosexuality and religion with a need to be holy and pure. Before rising on his birthday, John sleepily daydreams about how he, himself has isolated himself in the student lavatory,

Only his hate and intelligence, they each complete each other. However, only the latter shall be discussed here. John was five when he was first noticed by his white elementary principle. In areas of his intelligence, John, “without belief or understanding, that he had in himself a power that other people lacked; that he could use this to save himself, to raise himself; a and that perhaps, with this power he might one day win that love which he so longed for” (Baldwin 20). The choices of words used here express a variety of things. Firstly, we have sturdy words that falticate a religious connotation. For instance, the uses of: ‘belief, power, save, raise’ all insinuate prior desires to be above others. Secondly, the utility of ‘love’ gives way to how desperately John is seeking approval from his family, the church, and the