James Baldwin and Go Tell It on the Mountain

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James Baldwin and Go Tell It on the Mountain
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Criticism

• He said I represent sin, love, death, sex,
  hell, terror and other things too frightening for
  you to recognize.
• The American dream has been achieved at the
  expense of blacks.
• John is trapped by his conflict with his father
  and an oppressive religious background, but he
  must come to terms with his roots in order to
  become truly free.

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Questions to focus on

• religious and ethical questions posed by the
  novel
• Johns conversion is an escape from the
  outrageously narrow range of American Negro life.
• Baldwins attempt to free himself
• the role Christianity plays in black literature.
• Religion is to alleviate the pain of the heros
  alienation
• religious symbolism and psychic reality

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Main Characters

• John, his stepfather Gabriel, Elizabeth (his
  mother), Florence, Roy (his brother), Sarah
  (sister), Ruth (baby)
• Deborah, Elisha, Richard

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Theme

• Religion cheat people, opium
• Black peoples issue

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Summary of John in Part I

• John is a precocious boy, emotional complex boy,
  he is burdened with a sense of shame, not happy
  with what he was, he had pressure from people
  (including his parents) around. He felt
  desperate, fearful, afraid of others, being
  lonely, different from others

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• Troubles first ethnic, then religious
• Ethnic his trouble begins at home, with his
  father(father-son relationship he is obedient
  his rebellion, hatred to his father---he wants to
  kill Gabriel, his father dislikes him John wants
  to live a life different from his father, from
  others in the neighborhoodhis attitude toward
  white people, woman in the film standing for
  depravity (he really like their life even though
  he is told that they are evil, he wants to be
  powerful, rich, so thats why he wanders and
  wonders all the time)
• P20, last paralong for love, anti-christian
  attitude against Gabriel p51 wanted to kill
  father

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• Religious
• Elisha a symbol of piety, pure Christian, Ella
  and Elisha are separated by the church, church is
  a suppressor of instinct, human natural desire, a
  threat to ones dream and aspiration as well.
• P52 fighting---physical fight is an outlet of
  spiritual resistance, attitude to Elisha, Elisha
  is a pattern of life for John to follow, but John
  didnt like to follow him, he wishes for anther
  life, a secular life instead.
• So John is dreamy, ambitious, burdened with
  shame, fear of church, his father, whites life.

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Gabriel

• Why he was married to Deborah?
• To show his capability of self-denial
• Deborah a symbol of divinity, but he is
  unfaithful to Deborah, love affair, he felt he
  did something wrong, he is a hypocrite, he is a
  combination of good and evil
• his personality complex, good---devote himself
  to church bad---his attitude to John,

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• Father-son relationship
• p21, his father is Gods minister, irony, but his
  fathers behavior not a good father is Johns
  eye. John knew his father is a hypocrite. John is
  skeptical.
• P194, para 1 the only voice, his own voice,
  secular life, different way of thinking, he is
  not wholeheartedly , on the one hand he repel the
  church, on the other hand, attracted by the
  church. P196, no help and warmth from his father.

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• Function of church black church is the only
  consolation to black people, but black church is
  a liar, tell people falsehood.

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Part III Johns conversion

• Johns resistance one part of Johns mind
• P221 he was ready for reconciliation, but father
  wasnt happy.

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• Florence---irreligious person, she knew church
  was a liar. The best symbol of the church is her
  brother. Garbiel is not changed.
• Why Florence goes to church at last?

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• The theme of rejection, desertion, alienation
• John is an archetype of black people (1) white
  oppression (2) black peoples own oppression,
  double-edged trouble

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Technique

• Mountain determination to achieve his goal,
  asking for power
• Moses prayer on the mountain, 40 years
  of wandering