Literary Devices in Go Tell It on the Mountain
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
The novel starts and ends in the Grimes family home in Harlem. It's a poor neighborhood, and there are references to rats, harlots, and other not-so-nice neighbors. This particular area of New York...
Narrator Point of View
This narrator knows everything, and that means that we readers do too. Not only do we get to see everything that happens in the novel, we also get to travel back in time by reading the thoughts of...
Genre
So Go Tell it on the Mountain isn't a straight-up autobiography; it's definitely fiction. However, there are lots of parallels between John Grimes' life and James Baldwin's, and they're pretty well...
Tone
The narrator's tone in Go Tell it on the Mountain is pretty subdued. There are no tirades against religion or Gabriel: the narrator does let the characters do the talking. We find out all about Gab...
Writing Style
Just quoting the Bible all the time is for amateur hour: Baldwin writes his entire novel in a biblical style. Using phrases from the Bible to fill its long, wordy sentences, the novel has an author...
What's Up With the Title?
The title is a reference to the gospel song "Go Tell It On the Mountain," a popular Christmas carol because its lyrics refer to Jesus Christ's birth. The musical reference reflects the constant mel...
What's Up With the Ending?
The novel ends with John and Gabriel staring at each other in the doorway of their house after John's conversion, with Elizabeth waiting inside. The final lines are John's words: "I'm ready," John...
Tough-o-Meter
If you're not well-versed on Bible quotes you might find all the references a little confusing, but you're in good hands with Baldwin… he guides you through every switchback on this narrative hik...
Plot Analysis
UnbirthdayJohn wakes up on his birthday and is pretty excited because, c'mon, it's his birthday. Cake time! But only his mother remembers it… and his brother Roy gets stabbed. His father, Gabriel...
Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis
In Go Tell It on the Mountain, we're going ahead and naming Gabriel as the monster. He's the big, bad dad who beats everyone and rules with an iron fist, and he starts creeping into John's thoughts...
Three-Act Plot Analysis
From the beginning to the point of no return, that's our Act I. In Go Tell It on the Mountain that's from the minute that John (our main character) wakes up on his fourteenth birthday. He heads int...
Trivia
Disgusted with the racism of the US, James Baldwin finished writing Go Tell It On the Mountain in Paris, where he worked as a busboy in a café. (Source) The character of John is modeled...
Steaminess Rating
This book is steamier than the windows of the Model T Ford in Titanic, folks. It's steamier than Oaken Sauna. It makes July in Honolulu look arid. Between Gabriel getting it on (or drea...
Allusions
Thomas Osborne Davis, "The Welcome" (1.1.90)Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles "Way in the Middle of the Air" (3.1.52, 3.1.54, 3.1.85)John 3:16 (1.1.91)Romans 8:28 (1.1.110, 2.3.237)Isaiah 38:1 /...