Brendan Sullivan
Ms. Johnson
Com 102-045
14 April 2015
Go Tell It on the Mountain A life time oppression and demission was the only guarantee an African American in New York during the Depression had. However while most minorities can find refuge in their families, John Grimes finds that much of the oppression he faces comes from his father, Gabriel. Throughout the novel we see him struggling to choose between two lives, the life of those who have created the oppression he sees inflicting his own culture, or life that stems from his own heritage.
Before he can accept his heritage, and the religion that defines it, he has to find a way to relate to his father, a local preacher. John does not feel that Gabriel truly loves him or his mother, and this had led to a lack of love from John to his stepfather. Much of the obstacles that hinder the protagonist are imposed by his stepfather, who takes on an almost god like role as antagonist in the movie with his autocratic behavior and its effect on every character. However it was this force of opposition that caused the pivotal changes and developments that John goes through. Gabriel’s animosity towards him drives him to discover what he wants in life, by questioning his own religion and where he fits into the world. John has been pushed into a religious focus due to Gabriel’s belief that he was chosen by god to produce a bloodline of preachers. He seems to model his role as father and husband on the stern and judging God of the Old Testament. However while he