Sacrifice, Action and Responsibility There are many instances throughout Mr. Ernest J. Gaines’ "The Sky is Gray" in which we see sacrifices being made, action being taken, and responsibility being assumed. The most overwhelming displays of this sacrifice, action, and responsibility are; the sacrifice of innocence, the action of education, and the responsibility of turning a boy into a man Instead of “just running and playing” like other children his age, James (our narrator) is consumed by the weight of the responsibility that has been placed on his shoulders. In the absence of his father, James has been labeled “the man”. In James’ mind, being a “man” comes with certain responsibilities: “I got to set a good sample for the rest. I can’t ever be scared and I can’t ever cry”. As James soon found out, there is much more to “being a man” than simply not crying. With his father being gone, youth and innocence were sacrificed, and the action of…show more content… “You a man”. In her husband’s absence, “Mama” wore many hats and epitomizes the entire realm of sacrifice, action, and responsibility. None of these roles were taken more seriously than the role of turning her son into a proper young man. Mama knew that the deck was stacked against the African-American. She knew that her son would need a strong moral foundation, a high degree of pride, and ethics that would assure that: “we don’t take no handout”. She wanted the things for her son that we all, as parents, want for our sons (or daughters); to assume responsibility, to understand the “provider role”, to understand how to survive in an often cruel world, and to never feel unequal when compared to other men. All it takes is an observation of James love and respect for his mother, such as: “I love my mama”. “And when cotton come I’m go’n get her a new coat”, to know that mama’s lessons did not fall on deaf
