Reference no: EM133311460

Go Tell it on the Mountain James Baldwins

This novel can certainly be read as harsh critique of Christianity, more specifically the Pentecostalism that Baldwin was raised in. John, the novel's protagonist, already seems to understand that he is going to leave the church when he asks Elisha not to forget that he, John, was saved. The interesting thing about a religious tradition is that you may leave it, you may explicitly reject its teachings and walk away from the community, but it never leaves you. Aspects of the religion find their way into your language, your ethics, your narratives, your ways of thinking and telling stories. As someone who has left his religious community, how does Baldwin still carry with him the teachings of the church? Where do you see evidence for this deep-rooted Christian ontology in the novel?