Gill Character Analysis in A Gathering Of Old Men by Ernest J. Gaines

Gill was the character I chose. He has been subjected to racism and makes every effort to avoid it. Since he was raised in a racist setting, he has a lot of difficulties. He maintains his concentration on his college studies and football scholarship. On the Louisiana State football team, he is a star player. Gil also goes by the moniker Salt. He is Beau Baton's brother and Fix's son, but his ideas are vastly different from theirs. Gil reflects a vision of a modern social order in which race ties are harmonious. Gil's football success is solely based on his interactions with a black player named Cal.

I also picked Gil because there is growth and transformation that  I see in him. Gil is speaking for the future: his own, the future of the South. However, Gil's father's rejection threatens to cut him off from his own past. I feel as though he’s not as ignorant as his family are. He found his own path and continued it. Gil's ability to speak up and express his views has shifted . Gil's progress in this minor matter is merely an example of how equally forward young Southern males could change historical processes of prejudice if they were only bold enough to try.

Gil Boutan is a footballer coming from a white family. He represents his historical generations of the south. He’s different from his family and wants to use peace instead of violence. He is not racist, unlike the rest of his family, and after the murder of Beau, he advises his father not to take the law into his own hands. When his father kicks him out of the house, he is furious. Gil struggles to speak to his father, let alone stand up to him, right from the start."All my life," Gil begins, "I have heard what my family has done to others. I hear it today—from the Blacks, from the whites. I hear it from opponents even when we play in another town." Gil says, "Don't tackle me too hard, because they would have to answer to the rest of the Boutans. It hurts me in here, Papa"—and here Gil lays his hand over his heart. "It hurts me because I know it's not true" (12.74).

One particular scene that stood out to me is when Gil found out his brother died and got very upset at his cal, his African American Partner. This made me wonder, is he really the same as his family. Gil did not know the full story about what happened to his brother and jumped to conclusions and blamed the first African American. It states, The black people thee at Marshall. That’s where he was killed. I hope for God’s Sake none of them did it.”