Position Paper:

New Historicist reading of ‘The Sky Is Gray’ by Ernest J. Gaines

Author Ernest James Gaines is known for incorporating themes he himself is familiar with
into his work. Many of his works are set in the past, in the time he was growing up in. We can
say that in The Sky Is Gray, Gaines went back to his roots and incorporated his experience
into it. The story follows an African-American boy, coincidentally named James, who lives in
poverty in rural America.

Gaines writes from experience, especially in this story, since many themes in the
narrator’s life correspond with his own. Both the author and the narrator of the story are
growing up without a father figure and are pressured into assuming that role due to being the
oldest of many siblings. The mother figure is the sole provider for the family. The figure of
the aunt stays home and takes care of the children. The circumstances are, of course, warped,
because this is a work of fiction and the narrator does not represent the author, but many of
James’ experiences were inspired by Gaines’ own.

But why did Gaines decide to share his knowledge of the past after so many years had
passed? The first time The Sky Is Gray was published was in 1963. If you are aware of the
events that happened in the 1960s you’d be able to draw several different conclusions. Gaines
is criticized for his African-American characters whom are not revolutionary. While Gaines’
work was published in the Civil Rights era, it is set in the past.

To pay attention to the historical context of the work, we need to look back at the
southern states in the 1940s. Slavery was officially abolished but racism was as active as ever.
Institutional racism evolved into internalized racism and even the African-American
communities had accepted the circumstances they were put in. The colored population in the
USA did not feel like they were citizens of the country at all. Many had, at that point, stopped
questioning the government’s agenda.

In The Sky Is Gray almost every African-American character follows certain norms
without even realizing it. It’s been so ingrained into their psyche that it doesn’t seem foreign
anymore. The colored people agree to unreasonable demands the white people make because
they do not know any other way. They act like they were taught to because it’s not worth it to
cause trouble. This was, after all, set before the really big changes in the constitution
happened and apartheid was still present.

We don’t see a lot of resistance to the norms in this story since a lot of it is hidden
between the lines. The story is told from the point of view of a child whom has little
understanding of the subtle things occurring around him. Octavia is the only African-
American character that shows defiance to the norms. While not doing anything too drastic,
she goes about her day keeping her honor. She shows no fear to those more powerful, but
does not challenge them either. Gaines’ characters, despite everything, are aware of their
dignity (Gaudet & Wooton, 1990.). Another example of not conforming to the norms would
be Helena and Alnest who are the only white characters represented as sympathizers.

During the time the story was published and written a lot had changed. Apartheid was
condemned, John F. Kennedy was president and the Civil Rights era was in full swing with
Martin Luther King at its head. I think that is a reason why this work was published when it
was. It was able to show the struggles people of color had gone through. In opposition to this,
the character of the student is alienated from all of the other characters. He may represent the
African-American community from the time this story was written instead of set. He may
have been Gaines’ way of giving insight on the situation occurring at the time.

Gaines depicted the life African-American people lived up until the Civil Rights era.
He showed us the poverty and discrimination they faced every day. Despite not being slaves
anymore they still were treated as such. Gaines might have finally been able to share his
peoples struggles through this story because 1963. was a year of liberation and hope for the
African-American community. The story cannot be understood without its historical context
and the student cannot be comprehended without cultural context. Gaines preserves the
African-American culture in his stories (Babb, 1991.).

Nejra Galijašević
Works Cited:

1. Babb, Valerie-Melissa. Ernest Gaines. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1991.

2. Gaudet, Marcia & Wooton, Carl. Porch Talk with Ernest Gaines: Conversations on the
Writer’s Craft. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1990.