YMMV / Go Tell It on the Mountain

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Is Gabriel a hypocritical, domineering coward through and through, unable to control his physical appetites and too self-absorbed to take the blame for his own actions, or is he a broken man with genuinely deep convictions who had a moment of weakness, was too afraid to ask for help, and is now driven by guilt and shame to lash out at those around him?
• Harsher in Hindsight: The book concludes with Baldwin's Author Avatar John having just converted, frightened but hopeful about his new religious life and determined to give it his best shot. The scene takes on a more cynical light, however, when you learn that Baldwin himself left the faith just two years after converting, and remained disillusioned with the Church for the rest of his life.

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