Critical Analysis of the Story The Sky is Gray by Ernest Gaines
The title of the story “The Sky is Gray” by Ernest Gaines is ironic. It suggests at first the bleak mood of the story but also hints at hope in the future. Just as the clouds clear after a storm, James finds out on his trip to Bayonne that the stormy clouds that are his life are parting to let some sunshine through.
Throughout the whole story, a very bleak mood is portrayed. The setting contributes to this gloominess. For example, the weather is awful. James, seeing how cold it was, said, “I seen the smoke coming out o’ the cow’s nose.” Later he says, “The sleet keep falling. Falling like rain now- plenty, plenty.” Once James turns up his collar to protect himself from the very windy conditions that also exist throughout the story.
Another sign of the story’s gloominess is the fact that many of its scenes are without color. For example, the road in this story is very gray: “It’s a long old road, and far’s you can see you don’t see nothing but gravel,” as James put it. James also lets it be known that “the sky is gray” and that there isn’t much grass. Even the clothing that they wear is very dull-colored! James’ mother is “wearing that black coat and that black hat.”
The story takes place during a war, which contributes to the overall gloomy setting of the story. “I wonder when us go’n see him again…Look like he ain’t ever coming home,” James laments, showing that his father went into the war and most likely is dead. The father’s absence leaves his family without adequate food, money, or manpower.
The family’s poverty (which is partially due to the father’s absence) makes their future seem hopeless. The family lives in a poor, rural area, which was typical of black persons of their time. The family is crowded into a small, shabby home, so they must share rooms and beds. The family’s clothes are quite shabby too, for when James sees a mannequin in a store with new brown shoes, he looks at his own old shoes and thinks, “You wait till Summer…” The family does not even have enough money for some of life’s other necessities, such as food and medical care. For example, they eat bread and syrup every day for breakfast; and as James’ younger brother, Ty, said, “I’m getting tired of this old syrup. I want me some bacon sometime.” Beans are another bland food that J...
... middle of paper ...
...le also recognizes James and his mother’s dignity. The woman lets James take her trash to the corner in exchange for the food (“Ernest [her husband] has a bad cold and can’t go out there.”). However, when James lifts the cans, he can feel that they are empty. When James and his mom are leaving, she asks the old lady if she sells salt meat (seeing that the old woman’s house is also a store). The old lady does, and Mama asks for two bits worth. The old woman knows that this isn’t much, so she tries to give mama more than her money’s worth. Mama notices this, so the old lady, trying to restore mama’s pride, eventually gives her the correct amount of salt meat for her money.
Throughout the story, James begins to pass his mother’s tests for being a man of the household. For example, James doesn’t show the pain of his toothache, trying to appear strong for his family. He’s also learning to hide his fear, which shows in the “bird event.” The biggest test of all perhaps is when James learns that dignity (“you’re not a bum, you’re a man”) is more important than the chill wind. The reader is left hoping with James that soon the sun may finally peak through the clouds in his life.
In Ron Rash’s short story “Blackberries in June”, Rash explores the strained relationship of Jamie and her high school sweet heart, Matt, to her family. Through the characters interactions with each other Rash paints a picture of how major hardships can sever an already fragile bond between family members. Jamie and Matt, much to Jamie’s family opposition, have been saving up to own their dream home on the lake. After a freak accident on the job, Jamie’s brother, Charlton, loses his leg. In order to help sustain her brother and his family’s life during this time Jamie is face with an impossible ultimatum to sell her dream home or become an estrange member of her family. The choices throughout the story and the characters reactions to them depict
The tenement was the biggest hindrance to achieving the American myth of rags to riches. It becomes impossible for one to rise up in the social structure when it can be considered a miracle to live passed the age of five. Children under the age of five living in tenements had a death rate of 139.83 compared to the city’s overall death rate of 26.67. Even if one did live past the age of five it was highly probable he’d become a criminal, since virtually all of them originate from the tenements. They are forced to steal and murder, they’ll do anything to survive, Riis appropriately calls it the “survival of the unfittest”. (Pg.
Parents had to raise their children knowing there children would suffer the same fate as they did when they become of age. “Grandma was soon to lose another object of affection, she had lost many before.” (pg. 39) When the kids were young they were allowed to develop friendships with the slave owner’s children. “Color makes no difference with a child.” (pg.50) Kids are oblivious. However, slave children began to realize what the rest of their life would be like when they did become of age. Sopia the slave o...
A main factor in the storyline is the way the writer portrays society's attitude to poverty in the 18th century. The poor people were treated tremendously different to higher classed people. A lot of people were even living on the streets. For example, "He picked his way through the hordes of homeless children who congregated at evening, like the starlings, to look for the most sheltered niche into which they could huddle for the night." The writer uses immense detail to help the reader visualise the scene. She also uses a simile to help the reader compare the circumstances in which the children are in. This shows that the poor children had to live on the streets and fend for themselves during the 18th century. Another example involves a brief description of the city in which the poor people lived in. This is "nor when he smelt the stench of open sewers and foraging pigs, and the manure of horses and mules" This gives a clear example of the state of the city. It is unclean and rancid and the writer includes this whilst keeping to her fictional storyline.
Hale uses a progressively somber tone which allows the reader to depict the different levels of severity in the relationships between the main characters. The passage starts off with a very amused Mrs. Hale who talks about her surprisement regarding Zeena’s “miracle” of becoming perfectly healthy after the “call came to her.” This shows a mild amount of somberness as, looking from Zeena’s perspective, her health was better. On the other hand, Mattie was left in a poor state of physical health. The amount of somberness increases in the next paragraph as Mrs. Hale states that the situation in the Frome household was “pretty bad.” She adds that she pities them and there “[isn’t] a dime to spare up at the Fromes.” This slowly puts the ominous tone of there being nothing to bring up from the Fromes and how they are pitiful and, in other words, poor. Lastly, she progresses to the most somber tone of the passage by integrating the idea of death. She states that it was “a pity she did [live]” when referring to Mattie’s injuries after the crash. She does not see the “difference between the Fromes up at the farm and the Fromes down in the graveyard; [except] that down there they’re all quiet, and the women have to hold their tongues.” Through this long quote, the reader is left to analyze what this somber idea means. “Down there, they’re all quiet” shows the implication that physically dying is better than just a part of one dying. This is because the physical type of death
The opening paragraph of the story contains a metaphorical passage: "I stared at it in the swinging light of the subway car, and in the faces and bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared outside"(349). This reference is significant because it is a contrast to the dismal society that the narrator and his brother Sonny live in. The darkness is the portrayal of the community of Harlem that is trapped, in their surroundings by physical, economic, and social barriers. The obvious nature of darkness has overcome the occupants of the Harlem community. The narrator, an algebra teacher, observes a depressing similarity between his students and his brother, Sonny. This is true because the narrator is fearful for his students falling into a life of crime and drugs, as did his brother. The narrator notes that the cruel realities of the streets have taken away the possible light from the lives of his brother and his students. The narrator makes an insightful connection between the darkness that Sonny faced and the darkness that the young boys are presently facing. This is illustrated in the following quote:
Jolley uses characterization to individualize each character in a poverty stricken family. The son is referred to as a prince by his mother several times throughout the story even though he is a high school dropout. “Mother always called him Prince; she worried about him all the time. I couldn’t think why. He was only my brother and a drop out at that” (117). The author portrays the son to be someone with low self-esteem because he is poor and a drop out he lives a miserable life. His mother tries to provide him with as much, but is unable to do this because of her social status is society. “‘Sleeps the best thing he can have. I wish he’d eat!’ She watched me as I took bread and spread the butter thick, she was never mean about butter, when we didn’t have other things we always had plenty of butter” (117). Through this passage the author convincingly demonstrates that they are poor and cannot afford an assortment of thing...
The excitement the family had when they received the call about the dead cows, also shows their poverty. Their scavenging and meek options presented how they were in need of money and food. In my family, I am lucky enough to be able to buy clothes and food from stores. Along with necessities, I am able to receive luxuries such as eating out and going on vacation. Even though I grew up with money doesn’t mean my family has no budget, my family has the same ideals to eat what you get and not to waste food. But their family waste isn’t an option for food as it becomes part of a bread pudding when they have leftovers. (Blow, 2014,
The notion of poverty has a very expanded meaning. Although all three stories use poverty as their theme, each interprets it differently. Consequently, it does not necessarily mean the state of extreme misery that has been described in ?Everyday Use?. As Carver points out, poverty may refer to poverty of one?s mind, which is caused primarily by the lack of education and stereotyped personality. Finally, poverty may reflect the hopelessness of one?s mind. Realizing that no bright future awaits them, Harlem kids find no sense in their lives. Unfortunately, the satisfaction of realizing their full potential does not derive from achieving standards that are unachievable by others. Instead, it arises uniquely from denigrating others, as the only way to be higher than someone is to put this person lower than you.
Lareau’s main argument in the text is that when children grow up in certain environments, parents are more likely to use specific methods of child rearing that may be different from other families in different social classes. In the text, Lareau describes how she went into the home of the McAllisters and the Williams, two black families leading completely different lives. Ms. McAllister lives in a low income apartment complex where she takes care of her two children as well as other nieces and nephews. Ms. McAllister never married the father of her two children and she relies on public assistance for income. She considers herself to be a woman highly capable of caring for all the children yet she still struggles to deal with the stress of everyday financial issues. The Williams on the other hand live in a wealthier neighborhood and only have one child. Mr. W...
Junior sometimes had to go to bed hungry, but that wasn’t the worst thing about being in poverty. He made a diary entry stating, “Poverty= empty refrigerator+empty stomach. And sure sometimes my family misses a meal…and hey, in a weird way, being hungry makes food taste better (8).” This really puts the diary reader in his shoes about how many times he had to go without food and starve while trying to go to sleep, simply because his family couldn’t afford it. But to Junior, being hungry wasn’t necessarily that bad. What he felt was the worst thing about his poverty was that there was no money to save his beloved animal Oscar. Oscar became really ill and Junior wanted to take the animal to the doctor, but the family couldn’t afford it. When it came down to it, his father had to put the dog out of misery, and decided to shoot him. Visualizing someone having to shoot your best animal friend is heart wrenching. Most people have been in Juniors shoes where they have a sick animal, however they never imagine having to shoot it. This comparison of being hungry and losing an animal, shows Junior’s great strength at a young age about going through poverty, and sometimes even hope...
John Grisham’s book, ‘A Painted House’ places the reader within the walls of a simple home on the cotton fields of rural Arkansas. Within the first few pages, the author’s description of the setting quickly paints a picture of a hard working family and creates a shared concern with the reader about the family’s struggle to meet the basic needs of life. The description of the dusty roads, the unpainted board-sided house, the daily chore requirements and their lack of excess cause the reader a reaction of empathy for the family. Although the story takes place in a dusty setting very unfamiliar to most readers, the storyline is timeless and universal. Most everyone has a desire to meet the basic needs of life, embrace their family ties, and make others and ourselves proud. The crux of this book is that it does an excellent job in showing the reader through other’s examples and hardships to persevere and never give up.
Although, African Americans are considered minorities in the United States, not all of them live in poverty. Many African Americans live in a middle class society along with the dominant culture. However, many African Americans do not live in a middle class society, but rather live in poverty and have to suffer along with this poverty. For instance, Donald Goines’s Black Girl Lost and Tina McElroy Ansa’s Baby of the Family, two narrative novels, that illustrate the difference in two young African American girls lives and the society in which they inhabit. Not only do these young African American girls represent the two sides of poverty, they also represent how children can also qualify in the minority category. For example, Sandra lives in a run down apartment with a drunk mother who could care less about her daughter. In addition, Sandra remains all on her own and has to find ways in which to survive each day. But on the other hand, Lena lives in a nice size home with her two parents, her two brothers, and her grandmother, all who love her very much. Moreover, Lena has many family members who look after her and take extra special care for her because she is the baby of the family. Although, both Sandra and Lena lead very different lives, both are faced with challenges as a minority and as a child which questions their view on life.
The Story starts out with a morose tone. The speaker has had the last person of their family die, in their mind they’re all alone. And they’re pretty upset about it “I saw myself reflected in the large terrace window while black gloom spread over the rain-hounded night