《高山上的呼喊-go tell it on the mountain》go tell it on the mountain-第2章

cape。　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　interested　at　this　point　in　corruption　at　the　first　level　of　legislativepower　–　the　family。
Baldwin　wrote　about　black　people。　He　did　not　write　novels　which　understood　the　lives　ofblack　people　only　in　terms　of　white　subjugation。　At　the　same　time　he　recognized　every　terror　ofsegregation；　and　Go　Tell　It　on　the　Mountain　is　a　shocking；　and　shockingly　quiet；　dramatization　ofwhat　segregation　meant　in　the　years　when　the　novel　is　set。　Early　on　we　see　John　contemplating　the　forbidden　world　inside　the　New　York　Public　Library；　a　world　of　corridors　and　marble　steps　and　noplace　for　a　boy　from　Harlem。　‘And　then　everyone；’　Baldwin　writes；　‘all　the　white　people　inside；would　know　that　he　was　not　used　to　great　buildings；　or　to　many　books；　and　they　would　look　at　himwith　pity。’　This　is　a　strong　thing　for　a　writer　to　remember；　or　to　imagine；　and　Baldwin　brings　it　tothe　page　with　a　sense　of　anger；　and　regret。　The　novel　is　marked　by　the　dark　presence　of　‘downhome’；　the　Old　South；　where　all　of　John’s　family　came　from　in　search　of　a　new　life。　This　wasBaldwin’s　primary　milieu：　the　Harlem　of　migrant　black　Americans；　bringing　with　them　the　storiesof　their　fathers　and　mothers；　one　generation　away　from　slavery。
This　Northerness　was　important　to　Baldwin。　It　was　the　world　he　knew　from　his　childhoodand　the　world　he　cared　most　about。　He　had　a　feeling　for　the　hopes　that　were　invested　in　the　journeyNorth　–　‘North；’　where；　as　Gabriel’s　mother　says；　‘wickedness　dwelt　and　Death　rode　mightythrough　the　streets’。　In　one　of　his　essays；　‘A　Fly　in　the　Buttermilk’；　Baldwin　wrote　of　anotherSoutherner’s　contempt　for　the　North；　a　man　he　tried　to　interview　for　a　piece　on　the　progress　ofCivil　Rights：　‘He　forced　me　to　admit；　at　once；　that　I　had　never　been　to　college；　that　NorthernNegroes　lived　herded　together；　like　pigs　in　a　pen；　that　the　campus　on　which　we　met　was　a　tribute　tothe　industry　and　determination　of　Southern　Negroes。　“Negroes　in　the　South　form　a　munity。”　’
Baldwin’s　sensibility；　his　talent　for　moral　ambivalence；　his　taste　for　the　terrifying　patternsof　life；　the　elegant　force　of　his　disputatious　spirit；　as　much　Henry　James　as　Bessie　Smith；　was　notalways　to　find　favour　with　his　black　contemporaries。　Langston　Hughes　called　Go　Tell　It　to　theMountain　‘a　low…down　story　in　a　velvet　bag’。　‘A　Joan　of　Arc　of　the　cocktail　party’　was　AmiriBaraka’s　ment　on　Baldwin。　Some　of　this　could　be　constructed　as　standard　resentment　–reminiscent　of　the　kind　expressed　by　Gabriel　towards　John　for　not　hating　whites　enough　–　andsome　was　a　reaction　against　Baldwin’s　popularity　with　the　white　literary　establishment。　But　thatwasn’t　all。　By　the　time　he　was　writing　novels；　and　writing　these　essays　–　works　of　magical　powerand　directness　–　Baldwin　had　e　to　feel　that　the　black　‘protest’　novel　was　breathlesslyredundant。　In　a　recent　essay　about　Baldwin’s　writing；　the　novelist　Darryl　Pinckney　ments　onBaldwin’s　rejection　of　Richard　Wright；　the　author　of　Native　Son：
In　retrospect　Baldwin　praises　Wright’s　work　for　its　dry；　savage　folkloric　humour　andfor　how　deeply　it　conveys　what　life　was　like　on　Chicago’s　South　Side。　The　climate　that　hadonce　made　Wright’s　work　read　like　a　racial　manifesto　had　gone。　Baldwin　found　whenreading　Wright　again　that　he　did　not　think　of　the　1930s　or　even　of　Negroes；　because　Wright’scharacters　and　situations　had　universal　meanings。
In　‘Alas；　Poor　Richard’；　an　essay　in　the　collection　Nobody　Knows　My　Name；　Baldwin　concludesthat　Wright　was　not　the　polemical　firebrand　he　took　himself　to　be。　Many　of　Baldwin’s　blackcontemporaries　hated　this　view。
Baldwin’s　first　novel；　in　respect　of　all　this；　demonstrates　a　remarkable　unit　of　form　andcontent；　the　style　of　the　novel　makes　clear　the　extent　to　which　he　was　turning　away　from　hisliterary　forefathers。　It　may　be　sensible　to　see　the　novel　as　a　farewell　not　only　the　Harlem　of　hisfather；　but　to　the　literary　influence　of　Richard　Wright　and　Uncle　Tom’s　Cabin。　Baldwin　was　unremitting　on　this　point；　and　these　several　goodbyes；　offered　from　his　Paris　exile；　became　thecreed　of　his　early　writing。　‘In　most　of　the　novels　written　by　Negroes　until　today；’　he　wrote；　‘thereis　a　great　space　where　sex　ought　to　be；　and　what　usually　fills　this　space　is　violence。’
Go　Tell　It　on　the　Mountain　is　a　very　sensual　novel；　a　book　soaked　in　the　Bible　and　theblues。　Spiritual　song　is　there　in　the　sentences；　at　the　head　of　chapters；　and　it　animates　the　voices　onevery　side　during　the　‘ing　through’　of　John　Grimes。　As　he　steps　up　to　the　altar　John　issuddenly　aware　of　the　sound　of　his　own　prayers　–　‘trying　not　to　hear　the　words　that　he　forcedoutwards　from　his　throat’。　Baldwin’s　language　has　the　verbal　simplicity　of　the　Old　Testament；　aswell　as　its　metaphorical　boldness。　The　rhythms　of　the　blues；　a　shade　of　regret；　a　note　of　pain　risingout　of　experience；　are　deeply　inscribed　in　the　novel；　and　they　travel　freely　along　the　lines　ofdialogue。　There　is　a　kind　of　metaphorical；　liturgical　energy　in　some　novels　–　in　Faulkner’s　TheSound　and　the　Fury；　in　Joyce’s　Portrait　of　the　Artist　as　a　Young　Man；　in　Elizabeth　Smart’s　ByGrand　Central　Station　I　S