A Gathering Of Old Men Essay

n Ernest Gaines’s A Gathering of Old Men, Gaines brings up many examples of bildungsroman. The book largely focuses the coming of ages and how characters largely change after time. Gaines sets the story in a society where racism was tolerable and discrimination was accepted. The characters in the book who are dark skinned describe their struggles and the struggles that their family suffered through as well. Upon recalling such events, Gaines talks about how the characters are able to develop and change from it. Shown largely throughout the book, many could definitely argue that A Gathering of Old Men, is a bildungsroman.

First of all, when Mapes interrogates all the black fellows at the Marshall's place, everyone states that they are the one’s who killed Beau, a white Cajun farmer. For example, one of the men who stand at the Marshall’s place, Coot talks about his horrifying experience when he was in war and the hard times he faced: “The 369th was a all-colored outfit. You couldn’t fight side by side

The fact that the story is set in a racist society is a huge reason that many of the characters adhere to change and do not want to be inferior to the white people. The dark skinned fellows such as Mathu, Gable, Coot and Charlie all are influenced by their inferior status compared to the white men. The men did not like how the white people would always accuse them of their actions. The black people were treated like slaves sinee the white people could determine what would happen to the black people. Coot was always angered by the white people, who did not want Coot to wear his uniform, and Gable, whose son was guilty, was accused, just because it was a white woman. Bildungsroman was shown when these characters finally got furious and finally did not tolerate how they were treated. All in all, Ernest J. Gaines shows a myriad examples of bildungsroman in his