“The Sky Is Grey” recalls a time when segregation was still the norm. They were separated in every considerable way, including socially and economically. They not only sat in another section of the restaurant, but had to go to another part of town to eat “where the colored people eat” (Gaines 300). Public transportation wasn't much different. Although there are plenty of seats at the front of the bus, James says he has to choose the only seat near the back of the bus because he has to "sit behind the sign" (Gaines 290). His statement lacks any bitterness or discontent with the situation. In fact, James seems to say it matter-of-factly, as if he's just saying he can't go out because of the weather. James' mentality is consistent with that of Louis Althusser, a French philosopher who studied Marxism. Althusser asserts 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 put in place by the white man.