Précis: The sky is Gray by Ernest J. Gaines James, an eight-year-old boy, lives in the outskirts of Bayonne in a farming community with his mother, auntie, and siblings. His father has been drafted into the war, World War II, so his mother has to try to support the family by working in the fields. His mother tries to teach him to fight starvation, cold, and hardship with pride. James has a very bad …showed first 75 words of 624 total…

…showed last 75 words of 624 total…her that James will work for the food. When they get ready to leave, James’s mother asks to buy two bits worth of salt meat. The woman tries to give her more and James’s mother refuses. The lady cuts the meat in half, and James’s mother expresses her gratitude. Outside, James’s mother tells James to turn down his coat collar; she tells him he is not a bum but a man.