The Sky Is Gray

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1963

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Summary

Story Analysis

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Quiz

Essay Topics

How does Gaines evoke the setting of Civil Rights era Louisiana for the reader, aside from his mention of the capital Baton Rouge?

What is the symbolism of “gray” in the story’s title? What might it suggest about both the story’s mood and the story’s suggestions about a post-Jim Crow world?

What do you think of James’s assertions of masculinity? Would these details within the story work as well in a tale about a White woman and her White son? Why, or why not?