"Go tell it on the mountain" of James Baldwin

Résumé du document

Go Tell It on the Mountain was published in 1953; it is James Baldwin's first novel and a real success. It took him ten years to complete this work, he was a very polyvalent writer and he published novels: Another Country (1962), short stories: Going to Meet the Man (1965) scripts and plays: The Amen Corner (staged in 1955)… The author was born in Harlem in 1924; he attended New York City public schools and was a brilliant student. After graduation in 1942 he did manual jobs and moved to Greenwich Village to write. There he met Richard Wright, in 1944 who became his “tutor”. In 1948 Baldwin moved to Paris, he spent six years in France and Switzerland where he worked for American journals and concentrated on the writing of his novel. As far as politics is concerned, James Baldwin was an activist in America's Civil Rights movement and achieved the status of unofficial African-American spokesman on racial issues.

Extraits

[...] Gabriel is detestable for what he did to Deborah, and does to Elizabeth and John. He is a liar: “It'll make Elizabeth to know, that she ain't the only sinner in your holy house. And little Johnny, there- he'll know he ain't the only bastard.” P 248, and also a bad father to John. By choosing to give a third-person point of view, Baldwin wants the reader to see only what he wants to show about Gabriel that is to say a tough man, bitter, humourless and confident. [...]

[...] The fact that Gabriel doesn't love john like a father love his own child leads us to the second part of the essay. John is not Gabriel's biological son but John doesn't know it. For Gabriel, John is the fruit of a young woman's sin: Elizabeth gave birth to John after Richard's death and was not married to him. Gabriel's love is given to his legitimate son Roy instead. But Gabriel also had an illegitimate son: Royal who was the result of a sin (sexual relationship between Gabriel and Esther) when he was married to Deborah. [...]

[...] These are in fact David Baldwin's words. But James like John doesn't believe his father, he is a brilliant student appreciated by his teachers, he's full of hopes and dreams for his future: was not only coloured people who praised John, ( ) but white people also said it ( and the school principal told him: “You're a very bright boy, John Grimes ( John Grimes' father like James' mocked his physical appearance he called him on p21, he tells his son that face was the face of Satan”p30 and that he bears the “mark of the devil's little finger”p31. [...]

[...] The author denounces the hypocrisy of Gabriel who is not as good as he pretends to be and uses religion as a shield to avoid his responsibilities : He was unfaithful to Deborah, and when his mistress Esther told him that she was pregnant he took money from Deborah so Esther could go to Chicago and remain silent. After Esther's death he didn't acknowledged Royal. Gabriel promised Elizabeth to love John as if he was his son but he doesn't. However he denies being a sinner: “God's way ain't man's way. I been doing the will of the Lord” p 245. It is obvious that Gabriel's behaviour is in total contradiction with his religious fervour. [...]

[...] John wants a better life than his stepfather and doesn't think that religion can offer it since white people are rich: coats”, “silk dresses”, “watches and rings” and don't go to church like they do: ) for their thoughts were not of God and their way was not God's p 41. But the need to be loved by his step- father is too strong. At the same time he has no choice since everybody expects him to be like his “father”. He then turns to religion and goes through a rebirth. John is crossing the way that separates boyhood from manhood; he wants to show Gabriel that he can be better than him and that he deserves his love. [...]