s soul" (204). Through John Grimes, therefore, "Baldwin is not only exploring the personaldilemma of his protagonist, but also exposing the moral foundations of the institutional pillars in the black community" (Bell 224). While criticism of the church's role in supporting subtle racism is justified, it is also true that John cleverly utilizes the rich resources of the church that wereavailable to him. Would he be better off following Roy into the streets? Or Royal, Gabriel's first son, who also found his way into the streets and the reendured a violent death? John "wanted to be with these boys in the street, heedless and thoughtless, wearing out his treacherous and bewildering body" (30). He recognizes, however, even in the semi-transparent consciousness of a man-child, that he is being forced to make "so cruel a choice" (40) between the ways of the world, which in his community can too often lead to violence and self-destruction, and the ways of God....
