A Gathering Of Old Men: Importance Of Standing Up For Oneself

â€Å"If you tumbled down yesterday, stand up today†. This statement by H. G. Wells is found in the novel A Gathering of Old Men. The epic, occurring during the 1970s, was in a period wherein African-Americans despite everything endured overwhelming separation. Following quite a while of taking this maltreatment, when an episode comes in which a white man lays dead because of a dark man, which would in the long run require a lynching, the separated join together. They show that regardless of their tormented past, they despite everything have their fortitude, force, and pride.This sensational novel by Ernest J. Gaines, A Gathering of Old Men, written in a basic tone utilizes the utilization of portrayal, flashbacks, and imagery to communicate the subject that there comes a period one must go to bat for oneself. In the book, a character named Mathu is one who doesn't waver in up keeping his pride. From the earliest starting point, he never let anybody affront him on account of h is African-American legacy. He generally goes to bat for himself, in any event, confronting a white man, and never floundered, in any event, when he was sent to jail.Because of this mentality, Mathu was regarded even by some white men like Mapes who â€Å"knowed Mathu had never threw in the towel from anyone, either. Possibly that’s why he loved him† (Gaines 84). Mathu resembled a solid stone, the endeavors of others at causing him to submit were nevertheless rocks against his overwhelming pride and poise. A character that Mathu endeavored to impart a few exercises on turning into a man was Charlie. Charlie, regardless of his gentle character was a huge man transcending at 6feet 7inches and weighing 275 pounds.Beau Boutan, Charlie’s chief and some others frequently criticized him with names like â€Å"Big Charlie† and â€Å"nigger boy† as a result of his mellow character (Gaines 187). Charlie in any case, in the wake of watching Mathu’s soli d pride and refusal to let anybody step over that pride, in the long run increased some mental fortitude to go to bat for himself. After he executed Beau and fled, he returned and was prepared to give penance for his deed. Gaines utilized this occasion in the novel to show that despite the fact that individuals may be offended and beat down, they can in any case increase enough mental fortitude to go to bat for themselves.When Charlie stood up for himself, and became, in his eyes, a man, that in the long run prompted his passing. Gaines’s murdering off of Charlie after he fired going to bat for himself was implying the possibility that when individuals persevere, they should be mindful so as not to try too hard, as Charlie did, or there may be horrible outcomes. Another character of intrigue is Candy. Candy is the proprietor of the spot wherein all the men assemble, and the coordinator of the social event. From the outset, Candy is by all accounts really stressed over the ind ividuals in Marshall, saying â€Å"’No I won’t let them hurt my people’†¦ ‘I will secure my people.’† (Gaines 19).However, as the story advances Gaines shows that Candy’s thought processes might not have been as well-meaning as right off the bat proposed. It’s in the long run uncovered she couldn't care less much for different men accumulated in Mathu’s yard, however just for Mathu himself. While she demonstrated little feeling when different men were called up to Mapes and hit, she rushed to respond when Mathu was called. Gaines additionally indicated Candy’s genuine nature in the occasion when Clatoo needed to converse with the men inside Mathu’s house, without Candy.At this point, Candy took steps to have all the men who followed Clatoo kicked out of the Marshall place, their lone home. Gaines depicted Candy along these lines to appear in this time, persecuting individuals despite everything existed in the psyches of even the individuals who appeared to be pleasant. At long last, Gaines makes a mind boggling character out of Mapes. Mapes is a character who encounters a change during the story. At the point when he initially shows up at the site of Beau’s passing, and the social affair of the elderly people men, he acts with a similar outlook of the Cajuns in that time.His first reaction to the scene is brutality. He endeavors to pick up data from the elderly people men by hitting them. In the long run, when he understands savagery will create no outcomes, he lets them recount to their accounts. The conspicuous change in Mapes is appeared at the time Luke Will and his team show up with the purpose of hanging Beau’s executioner. Mapes endeavors to ensure Charlie and the remainder of the men, saying â€Å"’Go home, Luke Will’† after Luke Will requested he hands Charlie over to him (Gaines 195).When Luke Will overlooked Mapes and began a shoot out between his group and the elderly people men, Mapes surrendered control of the circumstance to the elderly people men and Charlie. Gaines utilized this to show that the attitude of individuals can improve. In the case that Mapes confided in the elderly people men and Charlie with the circumstance, he remembered them not as individuals of a lesser racer, yet good and trustable men, indicating that old men’s endeavor at representing themselves had the option to change a man.Gaines additionally utilizes the utilization of flashbacks in the novel. The primary job the flashbacks play is to show the hardships and separation the African-Americans looked in that time. At the point when Uncle Billy, one of the elderly people men who assembled to at last go to bat for himself after numerous years, was asked by Mapes the sheriff his explanation behind executing Beau, as all the elderly people men professed to have murdered Beau, he reviewed an occasion that happened a long time previou sly. â€Å"’What they did to my boy’†¦ ‘The way they beat him.They beat him till they beat him crazy†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬  (Gaines 80). Gaines acquainted this flashback with show the ruthlessness endured by the blacks around then, and that it saved nobody, not by any means a youngster. Another flashback was by Johnny Paul, who recalled to when they had all lived as a network, till Beau and his tractor came to furrow everything up. Johnny Paul was alluding to this time when he confounded Mapes by saying â€Å"’But you still don’t see. Truly, sir, what you see is the weeds, however you don’t see what we don’t see. ’† (Gaines 89).Johnny Paul was discussing how the weeds and spoiling houses had supplanted what was at one time a position of bliss, and fellowship among the dark families living there. Gaines utilizes this flashback to show what was taken from the African-Americans in the novel, to all the more likely discl ose their need to go to bat for themselves. Exhaust, one of the elderly people men, goes into his very own flashback. He recalls a period his sibling and two donkeys, beat a white man and a tractor. The white man and his companions anyway said Tucker’s sibling had cheated, and beat him with canes.Gaines adds this flashback to depict the conspicuous qualification among whites and blacks in that time. African-Americans were believed to be less of individuals than the Cajuns, so for this lesser individual, Tucker’s sibling Silas, to beat the apparently unrivaled white man was unimaginable. Like Tucker stated, â€Å"’†¦and in light of the fact that he didn’t lose like a nigger should lose, they beat him’† (Gaines 97). In that circumstance a found Tucker didn’t represent his sibling, and they beat him to his death.Gaines utilizes this flashback to show the aftereffects of the elderly people men being strolled over by the Cajuns, and f ailing to address it. Peak additionally thinks back about his appalling past. He recalls the Cajuns condemning his multi year old child to the hot seat, â€Å"on the expression of a poor white trash† (Gaines 101). He recalls the lack of concern the Cajuns showed in slaughtering his child, watching his demise, and leaving just as it was a â€Å"card game† (102). Through this flashback, Gaines shows again how the brutality of the Cajuns didn’t save any ages.He likewise shows how little the expression of a dark man checked over that of a white man or lady. At the point when his child was being sent to hot seat, Gable couldn’t do anything other than ask the Cajuns. Gaines then binds this back to the significance of the men confronting their tormentors, implying such occasions might have been kept away from on the off potential for success that they had up to their oppressors. At long last, Gaines uses imagery in his novel to communicate the subject. All throu gh the novel, a steady image that over and again came up was the tractor.The tractor was what Beau Boutan was riding when he came after Charlie. The tractor was likewise what drove a large number of the African-Americans on the ranch unemployed and away from their homes. At long last, the tractor was what the Cajun, Felix Boutan, rode when he was beat by Tucker’s sibling, Silas, which prompted Silas being beat to death. The tractor represents one of the principle torments of the African-American people group in Marshall. It drove them jobless, drove them out of their homes, and in the long run prompted their passing, on account of Charlie and Silas.Gaines included the tractor and all it represented to be another inspiration to the elderly people men to hold fast. Another image was the shotguns that the elderly people men had. The shotguns’ void shells at the outset represented the shortcoming and incapability the elderly people men had toward the beginning of the story . In letting themselves to be strolled over, and offering no obstruction, they were as futile as the shotguns with void shells they grasped. In any case, as the story advanced, when it came time to battle, the men had completely stacked shells and were prepared for war.This represents the change they experienced. From being old pointless men with no effect, they had the option to have any kind of effect, and have an effect. By going to bat for themselves, they showed their capacity and pride, which in the end even influenced Luke Will, who â€Å"looked stressed, genuine worried† when he understood their conviction (Gaines 205). Finishing up, with the utilization of portrayal, flashbacks, and imagery, Ernest J. Gaines communicated the topic that there comes a period one must go to bat for oneself all through the book.This subject was communicated through the cha