Go Tell It on the Mountain Chapter Summary & Analysis - Part 2: The Prayers of the Saints, Chapter 3: Elizabeth's Prayer Summary

Part 2: The Prayers of the Saints, Chapter 3: Elizabeth's Prayer Summary

In this chapter, we learn all of the secrets that make Elizabeth such a mystery to her son. Through it, she is revealed as the most profoundly good character in the story. As in the other chapters in Part 2, this one weaves in and out of the present church ceremony through the character's musings over past events.

When the chapter begins, the small church service is in full swing, with people singing, weeping and crying out. In the midst of this, Elizabeth's mind turns to her childhood. She remembers a mother who she never loved and a father she adored. Her mother did not seemed to care about her, but her father was indulgent and loving. Her mother died, when Elizabeth was eight, and her mother's sister insisted that since her father ran a "house" and a "stable" (two disreputable businesses), Elizabeth must come live with her in a...
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