Ernest J. Gaines has published five novels and a collection of short stories about blacks in a rural southern community. This dissertation argues that these works form a corpus unified by techniques, themes, and continuity, and that underlying what appear to be simple narratives are complex structures which give depth and complexity to both characters and stories Gaines focuses on reinterpreting the racial past in light of its effects upon the present. Using distance as a controlling device, he discusses the historical separation of light-skinned and dark-skinned people within the black community in Catherine Carmier (1964), and the ever-widening gap between black fathers and their sons in In My Father's House (1978). Moreover, he suggests that this divisiveness renders blacks vulnerable and prey to whites who take advantage of their vulnerability. In Bloodline (1968) and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1971), Gaines delineates the changes that occur over long periods of time through progressive figures and ideas. He depicts the rise in black masculinity, the decline in black matriarchy, and the unity of black men and women in the struggle for freedom In A Gathering of Old Men (1983), Gaines develops a rhythmic frame for a core of confessions. These confessions support the idea that black men can rid themselves of the paralyzing effects of slavery if they confront the traumas and guilts of the past which diminished their manhood and self-respect and move to a course of action in keeping with standards of manhood Through each of his works, Gaines develops in part themes which acquire their full articulation in A Gathering of Old Men. His primary theme, the measure of manhood, and his secondary themes, the residual effects of slavery and the roles of black women and organized religion in the struggle for equality, attain expression through the words and actions of the characters in his works. Setting, ethnicity, the development of themes, and the continuity of time and change combine to form a corpus that is realized only through the complete canon / acase@tulane.edu
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TULANE/oai:http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/:tulane_25428 |
| Date | January 1989 |
| Contributors | Wilson, Velez Hayes (Author), Edmonds, Dale H (Thesis advisor) |
| Publisher | Tulane University |
| Source Sets | Tulane University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Access requires a license to the Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest) database., Copyright is in accordance with U.S. Copyright law |
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