Windows to (the) soul: An interpretive study of cultural eye behavior and spiritual sight in novels of Ernest J. Gaines

摘要

This study examines Ernest J. Gaines' consistent fascination with the eye communication patterns of his characters---a fascination possibly resulting from the ability of the eyes to process or compose the world or perhaps from a folkloric belief that the eyes are the windows to the soul.;Such folkloric belief leads to the question, "what is the soul?" This study explores a spectrum of meanings, some of which are spiritual. However, the study also examines cultural meanings that are often intimated when the restrictive article ("the") is eliminated. Analysis suggests that one's culture ("soul"), as well as that of others around him, influences eye behavior and self-image.;In his early novels (Catherine Carmier 1964 and Of Love and Dust 1967), Gaines places emphasis on the direct eye contact of his characters to illustrate some of the mainstream messages that are typically signified by it (i.e., love, honesty and empathy). Direct eye contact as the primary means of communication also foregrounds the stipulations that the characters' racist culture often places on relationships, especially those that are interracial.;This study also observes averted eye behavior among blacks, especially in their interactions with whites. In later works such as A Gathering of Old Men 1983 and A Lesson Before Dying 1993, Gaines devotes special attention to averted eye contact, particularly between black and white male characters, for in the South direct eye contact was considered an act of equality and/or rebellion. The study suggests that when such codes of conduct regarding nonverbal behavior are practiced, they result in negative self-images (i.e., shame, inequality, submission, and lowered self-esteem) for Gaines' black characters.;The study also explores Gaines' skillful presentation of perspective and how it too relates to the concept of sight, for the term, "to see," can often refer to one's ability to understand as well as one's ability to observe with the human eye. As suggested by the study's analysis of the above novels, the African-American characters of Gaines' fiction exhibit a keener awareness of and regard for themselves when that perspective is derived from within (the soul) rather than from without (culture).*.;*Originally published in DAI Vol. 61, No. 8. Reprinted here with corrected abstract.