84 pages 2 hours read

James Baldwin

Go Tell It on the Mountain

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1953

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Part 2, Chapter 2

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2: “The Prayers of Saints”

Part 2, Chapter 2 Summary: “Gabriel’s Prayer”

As the church service continues, the perspective switches to Gabriel, and John’s abusive father remembers his own childhood. He recalls his mother on her deathbed, recalling how her eyes seemed to disapprove of his drunken ways. Shortly after, he experienced a spiritual rebirth. In his early twenties, he was returning to his house after a night of heavy drinking when he felt a sudden need to become a preacher and to share his love of God with the world. He began a new life at this time, guided by his newfound spiritualism. As he spent more time with Deborah, he developed a reputation as a powerful preacher. His passionate sermons quickly made him famous. Gabriel believes that God came to him in a dream and told him that his descendants would bear God’s seal. Believing that he must father a new blessed generation and a “royal line” (63), Gabriel decided to marry Deborah, even though no other man would marry her after a group of white men brutally raped her. He decides that marrying the woman who is marked by “dishonor” will be a demonstration of his faith and his purity (63). She cried when she accepted his proposal.

Related Titles

By James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Another Country

James Baldwin

Another Country

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

A Talk to Teachers

James Baldwin

A Talk to Teachers

James Baldwin

Plot Summary

logo

Blues for Mister Charlie

James Baldwin

Blues for Mister Charlie

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Giovanni's Room

James Baldwin

Giovanni's Room

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Going To Meet The Man

James Baldwin

Going To Meet The Man

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

I Am Not Your Negro

James Baldwin

I Am Not Your Negro

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?

James Baldwin

If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Nobody Knows My Name

James Baldwin

Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes of a Native Son

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

No Name in the Street

James Baldwin

No Name in the Street

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Notes of a Native Son

James Baldwin

Notes of a Native Son

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Stranger in the Village

James Baldwin

Stranger in the Village

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

The Amen Corner

James Baldwin

The Amen Corner

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

The Rockpile

James Baldwin

The Rockpile

James Baldwin