The Sky Is Gray - Book Report/Review Example

Character Analysis of Octavia Introduction The images and themes in the short story The Sky is Gray reveals various characters that even its author, Ernest Gaines, keeps going back into as he continues to write his more stories. As the readers go deep into the story, they can observe themes such as personal responsibility, grace under pressure, and moral behavior. Some other themes that are strongly shown are images of strong mothers, mysteriously absent fathers, and families in which love is expressed. On the contrary, that kind of love is more often expressed in harsh words or silence than in overt praise or affection ("Notes on Short Stories," n.d.). One of the most remarkable characters in the story was Octavia. Gaines actually based her character on his own mother. Octavia was a black woman who Octavia was a strong, proud, uncompromising woman. She had this stern character, but Set during the time of war, she was forced to raise her family by herself when her husband was sent off to the battle. Her ironic character hid the love and affection she had for her children in order to teach them to stand on their own. She had this inner struggle as a mother in facing the hardships brought about by segregation due to racial discrimination and poverty. Octavia's Actions This story showed several extreme and ironic actions and reactions Octavia has shown. One of the most highlighted episodes was when Octavia dared her sons, James and Ty to kill the two captured birds. She expressed an inexplicable anger when James could not do it. It was harsh for a mother to teach her children to take away a creature's life. However, Octavia used this to toughen up her children. It was her way for them to learn how to live and survive even if time comes that she has to go away from them like their father. Second, when she found out about James' terrible toothache, Octavia thought about the expenses since they could not afford to have a tooth pulled out. However, used what they had, for a trip to the dentist to have James' tooth cured. She did not want to show affection or sign of weakness, but behind her somewhat cold character was a loving and caring mother. Another action that showed how much she cared about her children was after the trip to the dentist. It was a cold morning, and they had nowhere to go and had nothing to buy. Knowing how cold James was, they ducked into a hardware store, so that James could warm himself up a little. She was sensitive to her children's needs and was willing to find a solution in spite of their poor situation. Another concealing action Octavia did was asking James if he was hungry. Although her son denied the truth, she knew as a mother how her son really felt. She decided to spend their bus money to buy something to eat. She could not bear seeing her son starving, and she has to find a way to feed him. Octavia's Reactions The last part of this paper is about the Octavia's reaction to several instances. I would not go further into details as I have already mentioned it on the previous paragraph, but it was the anger she showed when James could not kill the two captured birds. It seemed ruthless in her part, but it was a concealing symbol of what Octavia wanted her children to learn. Their poverty and their belongingness in the society made it hard for Octavia to teach her children to learn how to survive the toughest way. Octavia also showed pride and dignity in many other reactions. She never sold out her pride and dignity as a person. When an old white woman offered them food, Octavia did not accept any form of charity despite the fact that her son was hungry. Instead, she allowed her son to move some empty trash cans to the street. This way, her son worked for the food that was given to them. She did not come to the point of somewhat begging from other people. She remained honorable and dignified that way. Furthermore, she did not get more than what their money worth when she bought salt meat. Finally, it was Octavia's reaction when James tried to put his collar up because he was cold. She told her son to put it properly because only a bum would put his collar up. She told James that he was a man and should live as a man. This might sound inconsiderate for a mother, but Octavia only wanted her son to stand up as a real man. She wanted James to rise above his environment rather than fall victim to it (Bernardo, n.d.). Conclusion "The Sky is Gray" is a story of struggle and survival of a black woman who courageously raised her family by herself. Their race made it hard for her family to belong to the society where whites discriminate the blacks. Despite those reasons, Octavia teaches her children to be strong and independent, so that they would be able to survive in the society instead of falling victim to it. It was hard to understand at first why she had to be harsh to her own children. She did not seem to show affection and sign of weakness to her own children, but it was her way to teach them the greatest lesson that would make them survive any hardship with their head help up high. On the other hand, this story is still a compelling love of a mother to her family. It was not easy for Octavia to suppress her own affection to her children, yet she had to make it that way. That was one thing of being a mother for Octavia. She only did what she knew could help her children although it had to be in a stern way. Ironically, those teachings were ways for her children to be ready to face the harsh reality of the society. Those were what made James "a man". References: Bernardo, K. n.d. Ernest J. Gaines' "The Sky is Gray". Retrieved from http://www.storybites.com/gainesgray2.html on March 17, 2010. Gaines, Ernest. n.d. Notes on Short Stories: The Sky is Gray Characters. Retrieved from http://www.answers.com/topic/the-sky-is-gray-story-3.html on March 17, 2010. The Sky is Gray Summary and Study Guide. n.d. Retrieved from http://www.enotes.com/sky-is-gray.html on March 15, 2010 Read More