Is James' trip to the Nansemond River a happy or sad (or both )experience for james ?

James' trip to the Nansemond River was bittersweet and filled with both sadness and a sense of happiness. Thinking about his grandmother, her lonliness for home, and her eventual death saddened him; he felt her pain. But after reflecting upon these thoughts, he realized that there was a huge difference between life and death, and at that moment he experienced a revelation. He saw that this woman who'd given up her life hadn't done it for nothing, she'd done it for all those who followed. James decided right then that her life and death would not have been in vain.