Summary Of Ernest Gaines 'The Sky Is Gray'

In Ernest Gaines, “The Sky is Gray,” readers are introduced to James, a young boy growing up in Louisiana during a time when Jim Crowe laws still played a significant role in the daily life of African Americans. Under the guidance of his mother, Octavia, James learns survival skills based on rationale, accept generosity without showing weakness and with the help of a preacher and student, he learns to exercise stoicism in order to thrive and survive in a segregated world which is not an easy task to accomplish during this time period. Since James’s father had been drafted into war, at the same time, Octavia must fill in the fatherly love James is deprived of. This plays an important role in how she raises James to become a man because there