"A Gathering of Old Men."

Paper Summary:

The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the novel "A Gathering of Old Men" by Ernest J. Gaines. Specifically it describes and assesses how the novel depicts the culture that it is portraying. "A Gathering of Old Men" indicates that even in the relatively modern South, hatred and old ideas still exist. Slavery may have ended in the 19th century, but the residual effects of that institution still follow blacks and whites in the South. The historical context of this moving book illustrates that quite clearly.

From the Paper:

"Ernest J. Gaines was born on January 15, 1933 on the River Lake Plantation in Louisiana. He worked in the cane fields of the plantation when he was a child, and the setting offers the background for much of his fiction. He says, "Though the places in my stories and novels are imaginary ones, they are based pretty much on the place where I grew up and the surrounding areas where I worked, went to school, and traveled as a child. My characters speak the way people speak in that area" (Bauer). He has written numerous novels and short stories, and almost all of them tell the emotional stories of black people struggling to live in a largely white world, just like this one. He has won numerous awards and recognition for his novels, including a National Endowment for the Arts grant, a Guggenheim fellow, and a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellow (Bauer). He is a professor of English in Lafayette, Louisiana, and he continues to write compelling tales about black life and social issues in his home state."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bauer, Jerry. "About the Author." Random House. 2008. 19 April 2008. <http://www.randomhouse.com/vintage/gaines/bio.html>
• Gaines, Ernest J. A Gathering of Old Men. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984.

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• Analytical Essay # 28600 : "Analysis of "A Gathering of Old Men" by Ernest J. Gaines"
• Book Review # 150400 : "Cormac McCarthy's "No Country for Old Men"

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