Date of Award

Fall 12-2011

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Degree Program

English Teaching

Department

English

Major Professor

Earle Bryant (Co-Major Professor)

Second Advisor

Kris Lackey (Co-Major Professor)

Third Advisor

Daniel Doll

Abstract

According to Ernest Gaines‘ personal experiences as a Southerner, without addressing the history of slavery, the quest for human dignity becomes meaningless. The discourses and the ideologies of the characters in AGathering of Old Men represent a call for social change. A Gathering of Old Men is however, more than just a novel about whites dominating blacks; it is a novel about the fight for humanity in spite of the threat of a new social order. The social repercussions of slavery and the denial of black manhood are central issues in A Gathering of Old Men, but Gaines also exhibits ways in which the demand for a social change in our society can bring about racial harmony.

Rights

The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.

Share

COinS