The Sky is Gray

"The Sky is Gray" is one of the best stories we have read so far.  Language, youth, and maturity were all important contributing factors to the point of view.  Since the story was told from an eight year old boy's perspective, I think it had a unique angle.  Pride seemed to be one of the main themes of the story.  There were many instances throughout the reading where pride played a major role.  For example, the mother had to buy something when they stopped at the cafe to warm up, she would not except the extra meat from the old lady, and she would not allow her son to flip up his collar in the cold.  This aspect was very interesting to me.  For African Americans in this period, everyday life was a struggle.  Establishments were split between black and white and blacks were forced to ride at the back of the bus.  With all this to endure, the mother still had all the pride in the world.  It was as if she would not let her unfortunate situation get her down.  I really respected the mother's character for this reason. 

 On the other hand, I was a bit uncomfortable with the way she treated her son.  While he was the oldest child in the family, eight years old is hardly old enough to have the responsibilities of a full grown man.  Of course, with the father being away and money being so tight, the boy had to take on a lot of grown up tasks, however, I thought the mother should have taken his youth and vulnerability into account.  One part in particular demonstrates my view.  The mother tells the boy he must kill the birds they have caught.  When he refuses she begins to beat him.  At the sight of this the aunt comes out and tells the mother she must explain the situation to the boy rather than just hit him.  I understand that times were very difficult for the family, but I also believe that every child deserves to be a child.  I don't think it is fair to expect an eight year old to take on such responsibilities with no questions asked.

Religious undertones were another important aspect of the story.  There was a lot of talk about God and beliefs and I think the old woman sort of represented an everyday personification of kindness.  I thought it was interesting that Gaines included the character of the young man reading the book.  At the time the story was written, I feel it must have been pretty brave to bring up such questions.  Because of this, I was definitely intrigued by the character.

At the close of the story, I have to say, I was very impressed.  It would be wonderful if the film turned out to be half as good.