Research Paper on:
Ernest Gaines/Centrality of Racism in His Work

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
to the struggle of racism. His novels have been highly acclaimed for their insightful and dramatic looks deep into the sociological detriments that racial intolerance has propagated. This  central theme to Gaines work has allowed for the author to voice his concerns with regard to humanitys narrow-mindedness while at the same time educating his readership as to the  importance of racial harmony. "Gaines did putting-you-in-your-place so well, so subtly. And I think that thats still out there" (Dobbin PG).  Gaines primary objective in such titles as A Lesson Before Dying - a "searing story about an African-American wrongly accused in the murder of a white store owner in Louisiana  in the late 1940s" (Chollet E08) - is to point out that humanity has been enduring an ongoing battle for centuries: the strained relations among the races. Despite efforts  to put the past behind, signs remain at nearly every juncture that there still exists a strong sense of racial dissension. Gaines illustrates how there is virtually no segment  of society that is not affected by racial stereotypes, which are defined as "oversimplified or mistaken" (Stereotypes) attitudes, opinions or judgments. From school children to the workplace, from the  entertainment industry to the sports world, racial stereotypes are an integral part of societys framework. Indeed, a perfect society would reflect an attitude of equality -- rather than one  of segregation -- toward the myriad ethnicities that exist in todays world; however, Gaines indicates that as much as humanity has moved away from racism, there have been just as  many issues that have stalled its continuation. According to Gaines in a 1978 interview: "You must understand that the blacks who were brought here as slaves were prevented