University of the Immaculate Conception

Bonifacio St., Davao City

Requirements in ADVANCED PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

English 206

To:
DR. IDA YAP-PATRON

By:
BRANDO B. SAYSON

April 1, 2014

BRANDO B. SAYSON

MARCH 17, 2014

ENGLISH 215 ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE

The Sky is Gray: Analysis

Ernest J. Graines

What I value in the story is the fact that James recognized that although he honors
his cultural background, being a man himself transcends racial designation. It requires acting
responsibly and with integrity, traits not given to one race or another.
The Sky is Gray is a short story written by an African American named Ernest J.
Graines and first published in 1963. Ernest J. Graines was born and lived his first 15 years in a
small town in Louisiana. After his 15th birthday, he moved to California to attend a high school,
served in the US Army, and later attended two universities. He became a professor and began
writing. Most of Gainess works are based on his childhood and heritage in rural Louisiana. In
The Sky is Gray, Gaines introduces a young African American boy named James who lives
with his family in extreme poverty in rural Louisiana. Gaines relates a few days of Jamess life
when he has a toothache and takes a trip to the dentist in town with his mother, to create a plot
that may sound simple, but holds within it many underlying meanings.
In the story, the reader constantly sees the poor conditions that many-especially African
Americans in the early 1940s had to endure. It is revealed that economic conditions made life so
hard for people. One example is when Jamess mother, Octavia, decides that she will take James
to the dentist and because of their lack of transportation, they will have to go on a public bus.

Before their departure, there is a scene in which Jamess mother is counting money for their trip.
There is just enough for the trip to town and back, enough for paying the dentist and enough for
buying a very small portion of salt meat for the family. From this scene, the viewer can see the
meager amount of assets that James and his family actually have. This was the time when every
cent counts for survival.
Another factor explored is that of racism. Because of the familys extreme poverty, they
most go to the most inexpensive dentist. When they go, they wait for hours to see the dentist.
Then, a white nurse emerges from the back room and announces that the doctor will see no one
else until 1:00 that afternoon. Despite the begging of Octavia, the nurse refuses to let James in to
see the dentist. From the look of disdain on the nurses face, the viewer can understand that
racism and class is playing a role in the nurses decision to not let James see the dentist.
James and his mother are forced to retreat out into the cold to wait for the reopening of
the office. The viewer soon receives insights into Octavias sense of pride. As they wander
through the streets, she can tell that James is freezing and hungry. She takes him into a hardware
store and she pretends to examine several handles while James warns his hands by the stove.
Octavia knows that she has no intention of buying a handle, but wants to put up the exterior as if
she is, so James can warm his hands. After she refused each handle that the store owner presents,
she walks towards the door and in an authoritative tone commands, Come James. Octavia
could have just wandered in to let James warm his hands, but she does not want to feel like she is
taking hand-cuts and she does not want to be looked down on by anyone.
When reading The Sky is Gray, the reader can almost feel the desolation of James and
his family. The family is extremely poor. They are cold and do not have enough to eat. These are

constant reminders of the hardships of this family. This is the significance of the title, The Sky
is Gray. Gray usually brings thoughts of blackness and depression. This is the reason why tears
begin streaming down his face and she begins beating him. James finally hesitantly crouches
down and kills the bird. Although Octavia never explains to him, he relays to the reader that he
understands why she made him do it. He will have to be the man of the house one day. He has to
learn to be strong and take care of himself because in the future, he will probably be living in the
same conditions as he is now. Another signifying coming-of-age factor is Jamess secrecy and
bravery with his toothache. Even though he is in extreme pain, he tries to keep his pain a secret
so he does not look like a child or worry his mother. The reader can also feel sense his maturity
and growing responsibility when they are walking along the street and his mother asks if he is
hungry. He declines, even though he obviously is. James does his best to make life as easy as
possible for his mother and family. He does not want to add any extra burdens to the already
large load.
The Sky is Gray is an eye-opening story. It depicts how life was for many poor African
Americans in the 1940s South. Every day they had to face racism and yet try to possess some
semblance of pride. The story uses the life of a young boy coming-of-age to portray a life when
everything was gray, when everything was supposed to be questionably one way.
Let us be reminded about the words of Frederick Maitlands that say The essential
matter of history is what not happened but what people thought or said about it.