"The Sky is Gray" by Ernest Gaines

"The Sky is Gray" by Ernest Gaines was a much easier read for me than some of the other short stories like, "Tomorrow," have been. Before reading the story I didn't know who Ernest Gaines was, but as I read I got the feeling that he was a black author writing about a somewhat typical lifestyle of an African American around the time of the Civil Rights Movement. Some of the context clues Gaines gives the reader for the time period are things like placing James and his family in the back of the bus. Also, having James' father not around and because of that his mother has to be both the father and the mother in her son's life.
This short story was centered on the main theme of pride. James' mother was teaching him his gender role, and how to be a proper man in society. For example she yelled at him for his collar being flipped up, and told him he's not a bum and to flip it down. There was also the part when his mother was trying to get him to kill the birds, and it was because she wanted James to know how to take care of things when she's not around. This scene for me seemed a little out there, I understand his mother cares about him, but I feel like having an eight year old boy kill an animal isn't right. I don't think he would be mature enough at that age to fully understand his mother's reasoning. Then when James' aunt has to stop his mother from beating him it made me feel like the beating must have been pretty unnecessary. I guess her being so aggressive during that part could also be her trying to serve as the father figure for James.
Overall I enjoyed reading this short story. I liked how Gaines wrote it in slang to signify to the reader that the narrator is young and not really educated; it put more of a personal touch to his writing.