Go Tell It on the Mountain Summary

Set in 1935 Harlem, the story centers on the fourteenth birthday of John Grimes. The narrative seamlessly weaves in flashback episodes to delve into the lives of John’s parents and aunt while also drawing a connection to his slave grandmother from a previous generation. The narrative perspective shifts between characters, with the first and fifth sections from John's viewpoint, while the second focuses on his aunt, the third his father, and the fourth his mother.

The narrative is deeply rooted in biblical references, mirroring the constant presence of religion in the characters' lives. This often adds a layer of complexity to understanding the story. The narrative is fraught with three interconnected conflicts: a strained father-son relationship, the trials of growing up, and a religious crisis. Although issues of race and racism are not overtly discussed, they subtly underpin the three main issues of the narrative.

John finds himself grappling with his father's apparent hatred towards him and his preference for John's younger brother, Roy. He is conflicted between the desire to win his father's love and his resentment for his father's stringent religious world. Convinced he has committed a grave sin, John goes through a spiritual crisis that leads to a transformative religious experience at his family's local Harlem church. Unfortunately, this does not win him his father's approval. Unbeknownst to John, the reader is aware that Gabriel, the man he believes to be his father, is actually his stepfather. Gabriel's resentment towards John is rooted not in the boy's actions but in his own secret past.