第1部分(第4/7 頁)

hing　for　mercy　on　the　threshing　floor　infront　of　the　altar　–　we　read　the　stories　of　his　relatives：　Florence；　his　aunt；　Gabriel；　his　father；　andhis　mother　Elizabeth。　In　three　long　chapters　we　e　to　know　the　beliefs；　the　leave…takings；　theloves；　the　honour　and　dishonour；　that　had　made　up　the　lives　of　these　three　people；　lives　which　haveanimated　a　host　of　other　lives；　and　which；　by　and　by；　have　e　to　animate　the　life　of　John　Grimestoo。　There　are　secrets　in　the　novel；　as　they　emerge　in　a　beautiful；　disturbing　pattern；　uncoveredwords　speaking　clearly；　soulfully；　of　this　one　family’s　legacy　of　pain　and　silence。

In　Go　Tell　It　on　the　Mountain；　John　has　a　certain　dread　of　the　life　that　awaits　him；　he　feelsdoomed　and　he　dreams　of　escape。　He　has　made　decisions。　‘He　will　not　be　like　his　father；　or　hisfather’s　father。　He　would　have　another　life。’　It　might　be　said　that　this　has　been　a　vain　dream　ofartists　–　and　teenagers　–　since　the　beginning　of　time；　but　in　Baldwin　it　is　neither　vain　not　merely　adream；　for　John　Grimes　represents；　in　all　the　eloquence　of　his　wishes；　a　new　kind　of　American。　Hisfather’s　fathers　were　slaves。　John’s　father；　Gabriel；　is　free；　bur　he　is　expected　to　swear　allegianceto　the　flag　that　has　not　sworn　allegiance　to　him；　and　he　lives　in　a　racist　land。　On　this　front；Baldwin’s　America　was　to　bee　a　battleground；　but　John；　given　the　date　of　events　in　the　novel；can　never　be　a　Civil　Rights　cipher。　He　feels　guilty　for　failing　to　share　Gabriel’s　unambivalenthatred　of　white　people；　but　John　has　additional　freedoms　in　mind　–　freedom　from　the　localoppressions　of　Gabriel　being　first　among　them。　Go　Tell　It　on　the　Mountain　is　not　a　protest　novel；　itis　a　political　novel　of　the　human　heart。　White　men　may　be　evil；　but　they　are　not　the　beginning　northe　end　of　evil。　Baldwin　was