“The Sky Is Gray” harks back to a time when segregation was still the norm. They were separated in all considerable respects, especially socially and economically. They did not simply sit in another section of the restaurant, but had to go to another area of ​​the city to eat “where the colored people eat” (Gaines 300). Public transportation wasn't much different. Although there are many seats near the front of the bus, James says he has to choose the one seat near the back of the bus because he has to "sit behind the sign" (Gaines 290). His statement lacks any bitterness or discontent towards the situation. In fact, James seems to say it matter-of-factly, as if he's simply saying he can't go out because of the weather. James' mentality is in accordance with that of Louis Althusser, a French philosopher who studied Marxism. Althusser states that “the working class is manipulated into accepting the ideology of the ruling class, a process he calls interpellation” (Dobie 88). In other words, James accepts his place at the back of the bus thanks to the system set up by the whites