Societal impositions and the black male as seen in three novels by Ernest Gaines, 1995

Williams, Julian L.

1990-1999

This work examines methods used by young Black males dealing with societal impositions (i.e. racial oppression, paternal rejection, miseducation, abandonment, and imprisonment) as seen in Ernest Gaines novels Of Love and Dust (1967), In My Fathers House (1978), and a Lesson Before Dying (1993). The paper shows a direct correlation between these external impositions and the destructive behavior demonstrated by the young Black male characters. Gaines protagonists, who would be exterminated if Whites in power had their way, suffer from psychological trauma due to the pressures described above. This trauma causes these young Black males to act irresponsibly and thoughtlessly. Furthermore, these young Black males receive guidance from older Black males who teach them to accept the impositions of society as a method of coping with oppression. Also, this examination addresses the authors metatextual message regarding the social status of young Black males. Over a span of twenty-six years, Gaines depicts characters who continuously worsen and, over time, ultimately disintegrate.

text

application/pdf

1995-03-01

thesis

Master of Arts (MA)

Clark Atlanta University

School of Arts and Sciences, English

Black, Daniel
Pickens, E.
Briggs-Emanuel

Clark Atlanta University

Georgia--Atlanta

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12322/cau.td:1995_williams_julian_l