A Critique of "The Sky Is Gray"
             The short story, "The Sky Is Gray," by Ernest J Gaines, is an initiation story told from the point of view of an eleven year old boy, James. The story takes place during the 1940's in Louisiana in which segregation is a real, hard fact of life. World War II is being fought on foreign soil and it takes the family's patriarch away to fight as a soldier. Under the direction of his mother, Octavia, James must learn to become a man who should incorporate self-esteem, dignity, and pride as his core values.
             In this account, we get an insight on James' family life and experiences as a black youth. His childhood is not like most. He is burdened with worries about his family: whether they will have enough firewood to keep warm; whether they have enough money for the dentist trip and will there be enough left over for a "little piece of salt meat." These are things that should not weigh on a child's mind but it is these matters that force James to realize that life is not easy.
             James loves his mother and looks up to her. Octavia has so much to teach about life but tends to be hard on James. She is forced to be both father and mother. This is seen when two birds are found in the children's trap and Octavia has James kill one for food. We must see past Octavia's hard ways of teaching. Octavia slaps James to make him kill the birds even though he is crying. The realization is made that men have to do things they do not want to do. It is here that James loses his innocence but he is on his way to becoming a man.
             Living on the outskirts of town, James shares a small house with his mother, Octavia, his auntie, and younger children, Ty, Val, Lois and Walker. The family receives frequent visits from a neighbor, Monsieur Bayonne, who tries to wish James' toothache away by the use of religious prayer. James knows his mother does not like...