With his coming of age story, Go Tell it on the Mountain, James Baldwin comprises not only his first major work, but also his most personal. Baldwin chooses to instill his personal childhood experiences from Harlem into his protagonist, John Grimes. In literature that mixes poetic vernacular cadences with lavish biblical rhythms, Baldwin creates a protagonist with the same struggle to invent himself that at some point matures inside of every teenager. John, being the step-son of a fiery Pentecostal preacher, allows Baldwin to illuminate the racism faced by his characters due to both external and internal forces as well as the double-edged role religion plays in the lives of Harlem residents. Because John has a difficulty accepting who he
