Look Into "The Sky Is Gray"

James" understanding of why he must do his responsibilities is noted when he says; "I"m the oldest and she say I"m the man" (476). Exactly why he must be a man James does not understand, but what it takes to be a man James knows he must do. Gaines writes an example of this writing: "I"m scared of the dark, too, but I make "tend I ain"t. I make .
             tend I ain"t cause I"m the oldest, and I got to set a good sample for the rest. I can"t ever .
             be scared and I can"t ever cry" (476). Another example is presented when James catches two "redbirds" in a hunting trap and his mother forces him to kill them. After complaining and complying, James realizes the nature of his responsibility and mentions,.
             " I know why I had to do it. ( They was so little, though, I "member how I picked the feathers off them and cleaned them and helt them over the fire. Then we ate them, and everybody just looked at me "cause they was so proud)" (480).
             Unfortunately James is condemned with the occurrence of an aching tooth,.
             but his pride and respect for his family's economic status prevents him from telling anyone about it. His Aunt noticing his pain tells Octavia, and after failed attempts of trying to relieve pain with prayer, James gets his much needed trip to the dentist. On his way to the dentist James encounters his first glimpse of how crude and harsh life is for blacks in society. The trip to town on the bus marked "White" and "Colored," the forcing .
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             of James to stand straight and keep his eyes forward in the white side of town, the rude way he is treated at the colored dentist office, and the difficulty he endures waiting for the dentist office to reopen in the cold are all examples that show James he must find pride and respect within himself because society will not grant it upon him.