A Long Day in November (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Ernest J. Gaines
- First Published: 1968
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: The mid-twentieth century
- Setting: A sugarcane plantation in rural Louisiana
- Principal Characters: Sonny Howard, Mama (Amy), Daddy (Eddie), Grandma, Madame Toussaint
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
- Subjects: African Americans, Children, Family or family life, United States or Americans, Parents and children, Blacks, South or Southerners, Twentieth century, Occultism or the occult, Autumn
- Locales: Louisiana
The Story
Sonny wakens, shivering, from dream-filled sleep to the sound of his parents quarreling. Such tension between Mama and Daddy is new to Sonny; it turns him into a keen observer and his story into a series of dialogue-driven episodes. Although he cannot always interpret it, he knows well what people say around him. Daddy works hard and long cutting cane on a sugar plantation. Lately he has been neglecting his wife and son, devoting his free time instead to repairing an old car. When Daddy repeats that he needs love, Mama responds, “Get love from what you give love. ....
[The entire page is 1304 words long]

