A Lesson Before Dying Chapter Summary

There were many themes in the novel, “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest Gaines, such as racism, alcoholism, dignity, etc. The theme that best fits the novel is, that one man can make a difference in the lives of many. In this novel, the man is Jefferson, who was sent to prison without a fair trial because of racial prejudice. The theme, one man can make a difference in the lives of many, fits the book best because not only did Jefferson’s trial opened the eyes of the community to the racial prejudice that occurred, it also affected individual lives of Paul, the children in Bayonne, and Grant.

I agree with the statement, “At the end of A Lesson Before Dying, desolation prevails over consolation,” because the last chapters of A Lesson Before Dying had a negative and depressing tone. According to Sidney deRogers, “He didn’t pay any close attention to the black truck with the gray tarpaulin cover, but he would tell the people at the Rainbow Club that he did feel a cold chill when the truck went by.” Basically, Sidney is saying that he felt that something was awry, or that something wrong or evil was in that truck. The whole town knew what was happening that day and everyone had an opinion, whether that opinion was indifferent, uneasy, or disgusted/sickened by what was going to happen on that day. Grant says that “It was a nice day. Blue sky. Not a cloud,” but there was an overlying notion of sorrow and fear that laid over everyone in the quarter. One could argue that the end of A Lesson Before Dying prevailed with consolation rather than desolation since according to Paul, “He was the strongest man in that crowded room, Grant Wiggins.” Paul’s point is that Jefferson died a man as a result of Grant. Despite what someone might say, I still consider this argument to be wrong considering that Grant is still upset because Jefferson did not have a “Jury of his peers;” everyone on that jury was white and had no concern for Jefferson’s life. At the end, it seems to me that Grant feels alone since he has spent much of the past six months with Jefferson. He developed a strong

Given the title, A Lesson Before Dying, we can infer and predict that a character in the book will die. Also, we can predict that before they die, they will learn something, probably a valuable lesson

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines tells the story of how Grant, an educated black man in Bayonne, helps Jefferson, a black man who is going to be sentenced to death by electrocution, become a man by his godmother’s wish before he dies so, he can die like a man. In the novel, Gaines introduces characters who display a change as the novel goes on. Many themes are shown throughout the novel. One theme in A Lesson Before Dying deals with how a certain character’s growth propels another character to change. Gaines displays this theme between Grant and Jefferson. There are many examples in the novel that support this theme.

In A Lesson Before Dying, there is a church that everyone went to, praising the same God, of course, and even separating the blacks from the whites. This church hints at a bit of symbolism in the book, showing how anyone and everyone had one place to go to in order to strive for or make change in the world, no matter who or what they were. They always had someone to pray to, which was God and Jesus, while they could feel safe in their hands, giving them hope in the society that they lived in.

“A Lesson Before Dying” and “Into The Wild” are both books that defy the expected, tackle tough obstacles, and face the physical and mental extremes of life. Beginning with “Into The Wild”, Jon Krakauer leads us on a rich and insightful tour through the brash and lucid life of Chris McCandless. Followed by a well thought out, fiction novel featuring a sticky situation in a small Cajun community, “A Lesson Before Dying”, by Ernest J. Gaines. This split, self chosen, mini series takes us through a roller coaster of comparisons and contrasts, leading with the first noticeable major difference.

A Lesson Before Dying, portrays the aspects of Grant Wiggins and Jefferson who lives on a segregated plantation in Bayonne Louisiana. Throughout history, Jim crow laws were inflicted upon blacks and whites and was still in effect in the 1940s when the novel was written by Gaines. Jefferson is falsely accused and given the death sentence for murdering a store owner because of his skin color. Jefferson is influenced and taught how to become a hero by Grant by keeping his faith and representing the difficulties black men face while building their masculine identity in the segregated south of Louisiana.

The definition of what it means to be a human or a man, is a topic that is has been and is often discussed all over the world today. In the novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, Gaines breaks down the meaning of what it means to be a man thought a character named Grant Wiggins. Grant Wiggins is the main character of the novel and is a very educated African-American man who is also a teacher at a local church in the town. He is trying to define and understand the concept of what it means to be human. He does this to help a wrongly accused man by the name of Jefferson and also to help himself with understanding who he is. Jefferson was, as many say, at the wrong place at the wrong time. He was in a liquor store with two other African-American men. Things got out of control and shots were fired. Jefferson was the only person live at the crime scene when police arrived and he was then accused of the murder of the three dead men. Grant, in the process of trying to help Jefferson, is trying to overcome an internal conflict with himself and also to find his identity as a human being. Ernest J. Gaines has done a marvelous job of incorporating his own past, great plot elements, meaningful themes, and numerous symbols into the novel A Lesson Before Dying.

Love gives people the strength to brave the storms of life. Whether one is struggling with finding a place in the world, a purpose, or is facing the winds of confusion, love will provide a way for most to pass through the rough waters. In the novel, A Lesson Before Dying, written by Ernest J. Gaines, Jefferson is a young black man who uses love to resist and defy the expected.

The Ultimatum When thinking of losing dignity, the first thing that might come to mind is getting caught screeching to a catchy song in your bedroom or bragging about getting a prize for an award but then ending up getting nothing. These things seem trivial compared to the stakes of losing your dignity in the novel A Lesson Before Dying written by Ernest Gaines. Throughout the novel, it emphasizes the fact that the ultimatum of making small changes and differences will positively affect someone’s dignity. In the novel A Lesson Before Dying, dignity is something that every character in the book doesn’t want to lose.

There are many situations occurring in the present that reminded me about the beginning of the book A Lesson Before Dying. In the beginning of this book, a twenty-one year old black worker named Jefferson is falsely accused of robbing and murdering a white man and is sentenced to death. Jefferson tried to defend himself in jury against this false accusation but the jury made up of white men found Jefferson guilty. Now this reminds me of the current events today such as the Ferguson killing of Michael Brown. In today’s world, many black people have been getting killed for unfair reasons just like Jefferson’s situation. The time period for this book may have been in the late 1940s but it seems as though nothing has changed since then.

Grant Wiggins is the narrator of the novel. He was born in the plantation just outside of Bayonne, Louisiana. He lived there until he went away to college, and when he went back home, he was detached from the people in the town because of his education and different religious beliefs. He is easily angered and often very selfish. This is seen in the way that he acts towards Vivian. He consistently does not give her the attention or respect that she deserves. He refers to her children as simply, “the babies,” and only cares about the names of his and Vivian’s future children. Grant goes from shallow and selfish at the beginning of the story, to caring and loving at the end.

That night, the snow continuously fell, as if trying to mask the stench of death.

Tuesdays with Morrie revolves around the transcendent student-mentor relationship between Mitchell Albom, a workaholic sports writer and his former Sociology professor Morrie Schwartz. During his college years, Mitch develops a student-mentor relationship with his professor Morrie which quickly becomes a close friendship. However, in spite of assurances to the contrary, Mitch neglects to stay in touch with Morrie. Morrie, as we come to find out begins to slowly manifest signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and as of the time the two finally reconnect, is dying. Regretful of the lost time and of the state in which the relationship is renewed, Mitch resolves to visit Morrie regularly and give him an opportunity to teach his final lessons by recording their discussion of such important lifelong issues as death, fear, aging greed, marriage, family, society, forgiveness, and a meaningful life”(p 66), as well as to say goodbye.

‘Death by electrocution.’was the sentence Jefferson, a young black man who was at the scene of a triple-homicide at the wrong time, received. Jefferson’s nanaan wants an old teacher of Jefferson’s to teach him that he was a man, and not a hog as the prosecutor had said. This is the lesson in A Lesson Before Dying, written by Ernest J. Gaines. Gaines’ purpose for writing this novel is raise awareness of the social injustices people must endure, and use to help others find purpose. Gaines raises this awareness through African-American roles in society, women’s roles in society, and racial tensions between blacks and whites.