Sin In James Baldwin's Go Tell It On The Mountain

Deborah’s Life of Sin In Go Tell It on the Mountain, the author James Baldwin defines Deborah as a symbol of sin within society. Within this society, women are supposed to be pure and are labeled as sinful if they do not uphold to expectations and pressures that society has put on them. Although the church expresses that everyone is capable of redemption, Deborah cannot seem escape the label sin. Baldwin uses Deborah as an example of sin within their society to show how one cannot fully become one of God and how sin continues to follow them throughout life. Baldwin uses vivid imagery when talking about Deborah’s rape which serves as an eminent example in which women, especially black women, are subject to violence and abuse. Deborah is described as a “living reproach, to herself and to all black women and to all black men.” (Baldwin 67). Society now looks down on her after this horrible event, which was out of her control and shames her for it rather than giving her the support that she needs. She is paying the consequences, not of her actions, but from the actions of the men that raped her. She cannot escape this label of sin as the actions from the men cannot be undone.

Baldwin’s depiction of rape highlights much larger issue in society with the fact that rape is often downplayed. This can be seen as ironic considering that this rape is not treated as miniscule by Deborah’s surrounding society. Everyone constantly reminds her of this event and is now treated as an object rather than a woman. She is no longer a woman in this society, rather a symbol of sin as “That night had robbed her of the right to be a woman.” (Baldwin 68). Rather than being seen as a woman, society sees her as an object for