They did nothing to raise a hand towards the men that stole their dignity on daily basis and killed their loved ones one by one. They comes a day. Throughout his novel, Ernest Gaines allows the reader an inside look at the old black men s harsh life. He shows how much pain they endured over the many years on the river. Yet never once did they raise a hand or a voice to their oppressors.
Gaines paints a picture of what seems like endless suffering, until now.
Now they have a chance to stand up for themselves and for each other. Gaines shows that pride is an important part of a man s life, and that if it is missing for too long the man will feel like less of a man. In the novel version of A Gathering of Old Men the theme of pride is prevalent. But, there is another theme that catches the reader s eye, defiance. In the course of this novel each of the main characters shows a form of defiance towards someone they view as an authority figure.