"The Sky Is Gray" by Ernest Gaines

Ernest Gaines is one of my favorite writers, and "The Sky Is Gray" (1963) is one of my favorite short stories. Although there are several interesting aspects of the story, I'd like to focus on theme and family structure for this discussion.

"The Sky Is Gray" is a story narrated by eight year old James which tells the events of a Louisiana morning in which James and his mother, Octavia, take a bus to Bayonne to have a dentist take a look at James' ailing tooth. As the day progresses, James shows us events from the past--from the time his mother whipped him because he could not kill two redbirds, to the praying and aspirin remedies his aunt and her friend use to cure the toothache because they all know that the family does not have any money for a dentist.

One of the themes of the story is that it is important for African Americans to act rationally, not emotionally, if they wish to get ahead. The theme is stated by the college student in the dentist's waiting office when he tells one of the women that, "As long as you listen to what your heart tells you, you will have only what the white man gives you and nothing more." And it is the lesson that Octavia tries to teach her oldest son at every opportunity. It is a lesson that is nothing short of painful. At one point, Octavia demands that James kill the two redbirds he had caught and kept as pets. When he refuses, she slaps him and then whips him until he stabs the poor bird with a fork. It's a gruesome scene, to say the least, (and perhaps even more so when we think about the family of seven eating these two birds for dinner) but James eventually realizes, through his aunt's intervention, that his mother wanted him to know that he was capable of providing for the family despite his young age. What James does not immediately recognize is that she is also teaching him to act from his brain and not his heart. Emotionally, James did not want to kill his pets, but Octavia, who is rational, knows that it is more important that the family have protein than pets. Furthermore, Octavia privileges head over heart by rejecting public displays of emotions. She doesn't like hugs or "weakness and....crybaby stuff" and the kids know this. She wants them to be logical and practical, and leave their emotions aside.

The lesson is complicated, however, by Octavia's strong sense of pride, which she also tries to pass on to James. One could argue that pride has to do with the heart and not the head. For Octavia, it is a question of being steadfast in her principles and refusing to compromise. This can be seen in her interaction with the White couple at the end of the story. In this part of the story, the elderly White woman wants to help Octavia and James by giving them a larger portion of salt meat than they can actually pay for. Octavia sees this and demands to be given the correct portion. Here, she is choosing her pride and her sense of what is right over feeding her family, who would have appreciated the extra meat.

Octavia's qualities--pride and the emphasis on rationality--are qualities that we most often associate with men. This raises another interesting aspect of the story. James tells us that he can recall when his father was alive and the family "used to be happy." However, when his father joined the Army (and was later killed), everything changed. As a single parent, Octavia has had to take on the role and characteristics of a father, while Auntie has taken on the mother role, in a patriarchal sense. Patriarchy defines the husband/father role as provider, protector, and decisive head of his household. In contrast, the wife/mother is domestic, obedient, and pious. Octavia fits the male role perfectly. Etienne tells us that Octavia has to "work in the field rain or shine just to make ends meet." Not only does she work and provide for the family, she also manages the money. When contemplating taking James to the doctor, Octavia counts the money and prepares an impromptu budget. In fact, she is offended when her ability to provide is questioned. Octavia has figured out that she has just enough money to buy some salt meat when Auntie remark, "Sure can use it" and continues that they often eat beans with no meat. "I do the best I can" is Octavia's quick reply. Clearly, she sees herself as the provider and breadwinner of the family and feels hurt--even slightly emasculated--when it is pointed out that her efforts are not sufficient. Secondly, she is also the protector of the family. James tells us that as he and his mother wait for the bus, Octavia is thinking about whether it will rain and whether she has left enough wood to keep the family warm. She also notices when James is cold and creates an excuse for them to go into the hardware store so that James can warm up. She also uses the last few pennies they have to provide a lunch for her son. Finally, Octavia is decisive about matters that affect the family. For example, when James protests that his tooth no longer hurts and they should not spend money on a dentist, Octavia simply repeats, "Tomorrow we going to town." In other words, she has made her decision and nothing will change that.

Rose Mary, or Auntie as James calls her, is the perfect complement to Octavia in the sense that she projects all the traditionally female qualities. She is domestic, obedient, and pious. Clearly, she is the one who cooks the meals and keeps an eye out for the children. She is very attuned to their needs. When James' tooth started hurting, for example, he told no one, "but some kind of way Auntie found out." She either is the kind of person that the other children tell secrets to or she is very sensitive to the children's feelings. Secondly, she is pious. When Etienne argues that they should tell James about his father's death, Auntie protests, saying that they should simply do their jobs and leave the rest in God's hands. She is also fairly obedient, rarely questioning Octavia, the true head of the house.

Together, they make the perfect couple! So, although technically, this is a matriarchal family--led by a woman--because there are two women, and each woman takes on a different role, the family has all the elements of a traditional family. Strange right!?

The stereotype of the Black woman or Black mother as masculine is one that has been corrupted and co-opted quite a bit since this story was published. First of all, we should admit that it is a historically and sociologically accurate portrayal. Ask almost any Black person and he or she can tell you about a family member or neighbor who fits this description--tough as nails, manly. Likewise, the history books are full of stories about tough love Black mothers. The most famous story might be that of Margaret Garner, who forms the basis for Toni Morrison's novel Beloved. An escaped slave, Garner cut her daughter's throat rather than have her returned to slavery to be sexually, physically, and emotionally abused. Extreme, yes, but not unique--at least in literature. In Morrison's Sula, a mother kills her drug addicted son by setting his room afire rather than watch him destroy himself little by little. More recently, the tough and manly Black woman has manifested in film comedies. Tyler Perry's Madea and Martin Lawrence's Big Momma are both Black women, heads of family, who are so masculine that the roles are played by male actors!

But getting back to a final note about "The Sky Is Gray," we can't help but notice that this story was published in 1963. On the one hand, it gives a very realistic picture of the South in the early 60s--segregation (only one dentist will see Black patients, James and Octavia must ride in the back of the bus) and the unspoken exchanges (Octavia knows she must pay for the heat by buying food, the White couple knows that they must make up a job in order to be able to feed Octavia and James because charity is not acceptable). But on the other hand, the date is significant because it is two years before the release of the infamous Moynihan Report. which called into question the state of Black families in the 60s.

The Moynihan Report, properly called "The Negro Family: The Case for National Action" concluded that although American Blacks had problems with access to voting and segregation, the core problem was the Black family structure. According to the report, almost 25% of all Black births were to unwed mothers. Consequently, a vast majority of Black children grew up in homes with a mother but no father. The report speculated that this matriarchal structure led to two huge problems. First, Black kids with just one parent would be less smart than kids in two parent homes because only one parent was helping educate the children. Second, Black males who grew up in homes led by women would have trouble adapting to American society as adults since American society is patriarchal, not matriarchal. The report concluded that the best way to help Black Americans get ahead was to create laws and structures which promoted a two parent family. The report was immediately denounced by many African Americans who had example after example of Black mothers who had raised successful and well adjusted children, including Black males!

I wonder what Patrick Moynihan, the primary author of the report, would say if he had known Octavia!