There are many trails and tribulations that people endure throughout their lives. Some of these experiences instigate change of one's personality in addition to their attitude towards different issues regarding society. Ernest Gaines demonstrates how two different characters in the novel, A Gathering of Old Men, experience changes throughout their lives due to conflicts they encounter. The two characters Mathu and Charlie encounter a change that resulted from a shooting, which occurred during times of extreme racial tension. Though slavery had been abolished during this time, it was a well known fact that whites and blacks held different roles in this society and the blacks were usually at the bottom of the social pole.
             With respect to racial oppression, Mathu an African-American stood firm held his ground and would even put up a fight when whites tried to degrade him in any manner. There is a point when Joseph Seaberry a.k.a. Rufe thinks to himself, "Mapes liked Mathu. They hunted together. They had drinks together... he knowed that Mathu had never backed down from anybody. Maybe that's why he liked him. To him Mathu was a real man" (84). When Mathu was questioned about committing a murder Mapes said, "I know you did it. You're the only one around here man enough" (85). Because Mathu stood up for himself and demanded that everyone treated him as an equal, he maintained or gained the respect of many on both sides of the racial fence. Charlie on the other hand was nothing like Mathu, he was actually the complete opposite. Someone stated, "Not Charlie. Too many times I had seen Beau speak to him as you would speak to a dog, and he would not raise his head, let alone his voice" (58). With Beau being a white man, this quote clearly shows how Charlie succumbed to the racial oppression. Charlie became a victim of his environment and felt compelled to obey the white man, as if t...