The Corrupted Religion In James Baldwin's Go Tell It On The Mountain

The Hypocrisy behind the Corrupted Religion

In James Baldwin’s novel Go Tell It on the Mountain, Gabriel Grimes is characterized as a hypocrite, which shows the theme of how religion is corrupted by man. Baldwin introduces Gabriel as a serious and religious father; however he abuses the idea of religion. When Gabriel was left alone with his dying mother, he saw religion as a salvation. As a young adult he lost himself and began to have numerous love affairs. Consequently, Gabriel began to use religion as his protection to cover up all of his sinful doings. Even after Gabriel became a father, he continued his old ways, and made it difficult for his family to understand him or the true meaning of religion.

When Gabriel was a…show more content…
He has an egocentricity that does not let him be selfless and honest. Now he is trapped in his own misery because he does not want to admit that he is a sinner and that he is wrong. Instead he makes every situation worse. Baldwin portrays Gabriel as an unconscious hypocrite, because Gabriel will never change. He has always been and continues to be the same stubborn, contradictory, selfish Gabriel, and he is not even aware of it.

Works Cited

Allen, Shirley S. “The Ironic Voice in Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain.” James Baldwin: A Critical Evaluation. Ed. Therman B. O’Daniel. Washington D.C.: Howard University Press, 1981. 30-37.

Baldwin, James. Go Tell It on the Mountain. New York: A Dell Book Press, 1963.

Perkins, Wendy. “An essay for Go Tell It on the Mountain.” Novels For Students. Gale. Rpt. on Literature Resource Center. Online. GALE GROUP, 22 March 2010.

Pratt, Louis H. James Baldwin. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1978.

Roosenblatt, Roger. “Out of Control: Go Tell It on the Mountain and Another Country.” Black Fiction. Harvard University Press, 1974, Rpt. in James Baldwin: Modern Critical Views. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986.