The Code of Baldwin Go Tell it on the Mountain

The Great migration of African Americans, during the World Wars produced a new sense of independence in the black community and the black writers, impelled to make an effort to drive to end segregation and racial discrimination such as search for identity and quest for equality by crafting eloquent literature, chronicling racial injustice and highlighting the recurring themes. In the repertoire of this literary world, James Baldwin occupies an enviable place with his debut novel Go Tell it on the Mountain, which has been acclaimed as Time's 100 Best English-language Novel. James Baldwin is reckoned to be one of the most resourceful artists of the post-World War II generation, deftly creating brilliant short stories, novels, plays, essays, etc. Go Tell it on the Mountain, the Baldwin's ground breaking and the most carefully wrought novel, occupies a seminal place in his oeuvre.The present paper attempts to delineate how proficiently Baldwin narrates the tripartite novel while dividing the narrative into three distinct parts; “The Seventh Day”, “The Prayers of the Saints” and “The Threshing Floor”. Narrative begins with John Grimes, the protagonist's social and familial marginalisation leading to his quest for identity and perplexity while concerning his future and ends with his spiritual awakening confirming to his future prospects. The second part, “The Prayers of the Saints” is in turn broken into three parts bringing to light the lives of the primary characters in the novel through their prayers. The paper also attempts to illustrate how Baldwin uses the extended flashback episodes to bring spiritual transformation into the protagonist. The present paper also focuses on how the novel is replete with a number of biblical allusions, religious symbols and social doctrines. The paper also touches upon the idea of how the novel is considered a bildungs-roman novel, focusing on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood acknowledging a change in the character.