Sin In James Baldwin's Go Tell It On The Mountain

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In the novel Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin, we see that John has finally been saved by the lord after all of the sins he has committe. Also we learn that the protagonist John was not the only person who committed some kind of sin. James Baldwin uses the biblical allusion of Adam and Eve to reveal that temptations can lead to sins being committed.
James Baldwin also uses the character Gabriel to relate, to the biblical allusion of Adam and Eve to emphasize that a person’s sexual temptation can lead to sins being committed that a person will regret. Gabriel was whispering on Esther's neck and touching on her body, “So he had Fallen: for the first time since his conversation for the last time in his life. Fallen: he and Esther in the …show more content…
Elisha is explaining to John what happens when god save you, “But when the Lord saves you He burns out all that old Adam, He gives you a new mind and new heart” (Baldwin 57). The fact that Elisha talks about “Adam” relates directly to the story of Adam and Eve. Elisha is hinting that John has committed some type of sin, just how in the story of Adam and Eve they committed a sin by eating the apple. Also that when you are saved by God he will remove all the sins you had committed. Elisha is sitting down playing the pain, “You still got Adam’s mind, boy, and you keep thinking about your friends, you want to do what they do” (Baldwin 57). The fact that John has a “Adam” mind relates to the story of Adam and Eve, but also indicated that he is tempted. Just how Adam and Eve was tempted by the apple, John is tempted by what his friends are doing. John being so worried and tempted by his friends leads towards the idea of him committing a sin soon or later. Through John and the biblical allusion of Adam and Eve it unfolds that temptation can lead to sins being
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Go Tell It On The Mountain, By James Baldwin

within race and religion. In James Baldwin’s novel Go Tell it on the Mountain, protagonist John is confronted with the challenges of accepting a destined religion and the impact of conversion. Likewise to Baldwin’s character, in Octavia Butler’s text, Parable of the Sower, Laura deals with the same situation, as it is intertwined with spirituality. Both characters convey oppression through gender and stereotypical differences, and paternal relationships. Also, Baldwin’s work is deeply rooted in literary…

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