The Gray Area

"The sky is gray." By:Ernest J.Gaines

This is a phrase in the book that is mentioned often and it is the title of what we have read. I believe the gray sky is a symbol of what African Americans thought of the time period they were living in. They have been given rights, yet they are neglected and rejected in their society. Gray is used to present the position in which African Americans were in. They were to follow orders to survive and even though they had human rights they were not given such in the south due to the Jim Crow laws. African Americans could not rebel because they were threatened or were actually lynched or abused. Gray represents the troubling era where one is confused about which direction to head with their life. They must find a way to get out of it to succeed. This was a hard step for many African Americans because along with success came danger. The gray can also represent how African Americans had to stay in their place. No progression was allowed. The gray area can be the area where one is stuck and in the time period if one is stuck one must stay stuck. I believe " The sky is gray" was mentioned often because just like freedom is, the color gray has many perspectives especially when in relation to the time period of the civil rights movement.