The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman 465it makes the job easier, or allows them to finish
faster, the narrator has found a “spirit kindred” in
the man who works alongside him. They work hard
together, and, when they become weary, rest in the
shade together. In the final stanza, the narrator tells
his comrade that “men work together . . . whether
they work together or apart” (l. 10). This alludes to
the idea that everyone works together for the com-
mon good of man. Though they may not work on
the same task, people who work are connected to
one another, laboring toward a tangible goal. This
satisfaction is what makes work bearable.
In other poems, however, work is merely to be
tolerated, something that must be done. In these
poems, men are tired and overworked. Many times
they find solace in nature and their surroundings. In
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” the nar-
rator is a weary traveler, working his way toward his
destination. Frost never mentions the purpose for
this man’s journey, only that he has made a promise
he must keep. At this point, he still has miles to go
before he is able to rest, so he stops for a moment to
enjoy the woods around him as they fill with snow.
Here, the narrator knows that the task must be
accomplished no matter his physical or mental state.
The idea here is that there is time to rest when the
job is finished.
In Frost’s poetry, work is seen as having a pro-
found effect on the common man. For many, work
becomes a death sentence. Others are physically and
mentally altered by the work they have done over
the years. In “Birches” the narrator describes life as
a “pathless wood” (l. 44), where one is required to
make his own way through the cobwebs and the
trees. The way is long and difficult and painful, and
he is altered by it in the same way the birch trees are
altered by the ice storm. In the winter, the branches
are heavy with ice that bend the tree down to stay,
just as the narrator, in the winter of his life, is bent
from the work and hardships he endured. Because of
this, he dreams of a simpler time and the ability to
again be a “swinger of birches” (l. 41); a young man
who, while he is out tending to the cows, still has the
time and energy to play in the trees.
Work is a complicated theme throughout Frost’s
poetry, and his attitude toward it may never be
fully understood. His poems, though, speak of the
realities of work: that sometimes it can be enjoyed,
sometimes it is meant to be tolerated, that the physi-
cal proof of the accomplished task is something of
which to be proud, and finally, if one is not careful,
work can lead to an early grave.
Erin BresciagainES, ErnEST j. The Autobiography
of Miss Jane Pittman (1971)
Ernest J. Gaines, a powerful contemporary African-
American writer from Louisiana, is best known
for exploring the theme of heroism among dis-
enfranchised and emasculated African-American
men. His work has been compared to the work of
William Faulkner, like Faulkner; Gaines created
a mythical town, Bayonne, set in his birth state of
Louisiana, where his characters face the trials and
tribulations of being black. In their heroic quest for
dignity and meaning, strong black women teach
them the importance of small acts of heroism. In
this fictional autobiography, Gaines represents the
profound struggles of just such an indomitable black
woman. This novel, remarkable for its innovations in
form, established Gaines as a brilliant writer whose
apparently simple, folk style of writing holds pro-
found messages.
In The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,
Gaines, without abandoning his mission of explor-
ing African-American male heroism, creates a
remarkable female protagonist who transcends the
traditional representations of black womanhood.
Additionally, he explores the difficult and mine-rid-
den task of negotiating the contradictions inherent
in the tensions between progress and regress that
every person encounters as she charts out new paths
in unfamiliar territories. A fictional autobiography
narrated by the reclusive and reluctant 110-year-old
Miss Jane Pittman, the autobiographical material is
gleaned and edited by a persistent history teacher
who does so in order to compile a folk history of
black Americans between the years of emancipa-
tion and civil rights. The different voices of the
community that Gaines heard, growing up on
the porch of his paraplegic great aunt, Augusteen
Jefferson, are brilliantly captured in a communal
voice. This communal voice is perfect for telling