Burdens of Poverty In the short story “The Sky is Gray”, Ernest
J. Gaines shows the struggles, inflicted by poverty, in an
eight-year-old boys life. This poor, Negro boy, James, lives
with his mother and five other relatives while his father is
away. The fact that his father is gone to war, his mother is a
very proud woman, and James’ not wanting to be a financial
burden on his mother, all take a toll in making James’ life
tougher. James’ father is drafted into the early part of World
War 2. This leaves James’ mother to raise the children and
support the entire family. In effect the family has very little
money. The family doesn’t own a car and barely has money to ride
the bus to town. At times it seems as if James is starving. His
clothes don’t even keep him warm in the cold. Times are hard for
the family when James’ father is away. James’ mother, Octavia,
is a very proud woman. Her pride has an effect on James’ life.
She does not accept any form of charity. An old woman offers
Octavia and James some food, b