I. Analytical
    1. Biblical references and parallels
      1. Fathers and sons
        1. Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth
        2. Abraham and his sons, Ishmael and Isaac
        3. Isaac and his sons, Esau and Jacob
        4. Jacob and his sons, the twelve
      2. Jacob--the contest over the birthright, the visions and wrestling with the angel--Genesis 25-36
      3. John, Gabriel and Elizabeth
        1. The story of John the Baptist and his family--Luke 1:1-24, etc
      4. John of Patmos
        1. The vision in the book of Revelation
      5. Esther
    2. The shape of a single section--beginning, middle and end
    3. The narrative uses of transitions from past to present--effects on reader, implications about time
    4. Character and relationship pairings, e.g. Elizabeth and Florence, Deborah and Esther, John and Roy, Elisha and Richard, John's two fathers, Gabriel's two marriages
    5. The theme of dirt and cleansing
    6. Dangerous sexuality
    7. The presences of whites in the African-American world
    8. The theme of forgiveness vs. revenge
    9. Baldwin and the Blues
  1. Autobiographical
    1. Sibling rivalry
    2. Blended families
    3. Parental tyranny
    4. A moment of conversion, rebirth or self-discovery
    5. Walking out the door
    6. Ethnic or racial hatred
    7. Discovery of roots

      8. III. Creative

    8. A sequel chapter or summary of what happens to John
    9. A drawing or painting of John's apartment or the Temple of the Fire Baptized or a portrait of one character
    10. An annotated medly of gospel music related to moments in the story
    11. A collage of photos of James Baldwin linked to passages in the story