A Uniting Theme Of The Strangers That Came To Town, A Doll's House And A Lesson Before Dying

The main theme of the a lesson before dying is sacrifice and how it can lead to better outcomes. A lesson before dying is a novel by Ernest Gaines that takes place in a fictional town in Louisiana in the 1940’s or pre-civil rights. One of the characters, Jefferson, is going to be put to death for a crime he did not commit, and the main character Grant is being forced by Jefferson’s godmother to teach him to be a man before he dies. Sacrifice is the act of giving up or surrendering a person or value for a better object but does it mean more than that in “A Lesson Before Dying”?

In A Lesson Before Dying by author Ernest J Gaines, Grant is the protagonist who is trying to do the right thing for his people. Grant is in a very turbulent situation, having to make Jefferson into a “man” by the time he is executed. This is the central plot of the story, but not the main themes and ideas of it. Grant is struggling to help Jefferson because he sees generations of injustice through him. “’We got our first load of wood last week,’ [Grant] told him. ‘Nothing changes,’ he said.” (Gaines, 53). The response Grant’s teacher gives him has a deeper meaning: he as Grants’ teacher failed to change the injustice and racism and Grant is in the same situation. “Nothing changes”, but Grant does not give up for the sake of Jefferson, his people, and most importantly, himself. At one point, Grant actually reveals that “it is too heavy a burden because of all the others who have run away and left their burdens behind. So, he,

Sacrifice is being willing to give up something good for something better. Life is full of boundless possibilities, but in order to transform a possibility into a reality we have to choose -- giving up the many in order to attain the one. Sacrifice is the ability to protect others for their sake. not yours. It has flaws if you think selfishly; It has no flaws if you think selflessly. Cyrano de Bergerac, written by Edmond Rostand, takes place in Paris, France. Cyrano loves Roxane but feels he is too ugly to woo her. Cyrano has to overcome the severe self-doubt and shame that result from his awkward appearance in order to reveal to Roxane that he wrote Christian’s love letters. A Doll’s House takes place in Norway. Nora's struggle with Krogstad,

Sacrifice is “an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else.” -Anonymous. The Outsiders, by H.E Hinton is a book where Ponyboy and friends live life in a gang. You can see sacrifices being made in order for them to better the lives of each other. One theme evident in the novel is people make sacrifices for the things they care about.

In the short story, The Strangers That Came to Town by Ambrose Flack, Andy and his brother Tom did the unthinkable by poisoning the tub of sixty-one fishes caught by the Duvitches. Andy’s appalling trick gave his father only one decision but to punish them. Andy and Tom had to stay in the middle of the fishing pond, and only able to come back to shore once they’ve caught sixty-one fishes to repay Mr. Duvitch. After a day brimming with mosquito bites and sunburns, Andy and his brother finally caught sixty-one fishes. After repaying Mr. Duvitch and seeing the emotional side of him, Andy felt guilty for poisoning the tub of fishes, and as the eldest, he did not try to stop his younger brother Tom. I believe that the disastrous trick that Andy and Tom played on the Duvitches was uncalled for and downright ludicrous. The reason Andy played such foul trick was

Even though some sacrafices are not neccesary, they hardest ones are made for those who you love. Sacrifice plays a major role as one of the main themes in the Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. Sacrifices were made for the mothers and daughters which were fueled by love and honor, such as when An-Mei sacrificed her own flesh and blood for her dying mother, Suyuan giving up her children so they could live a happy life, and An-Mei risking her life and sacrificing a sapphire ring from her mother. These were all made for the sake of somebody else's good and for love of somebody else.

The Jim Crow Era was peak time for segregation causing Jefferson’s journey in the novel, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines to open up the eyes of many, no matter what one’s skin color is, by showing what it means to die as a hero even when seen as the villain. Grant is to make Jefferson a man before he dies by showing him the truths about religion, race, and the United States justice system. Jefferson also teaches Grant a few things about life, creating a unique bond between the two.

Sacrifice is a prominent part of human living. In order to get what is needed or wanted, sacrifice is necessary, whether it is small or great. In the novel, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, he shows that in society, those with less must often sacrifice more. Hugo conveys sacrifice through the characters Fantine and Jean Valjean, by showing how they sacrifice in order to gain and also how their poverty makes their sacrifice even greater.

In Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses, the concept of understanding sacrifice to establish a greater moral good is central to the main characters and their developed values. Specifically, McCarthy incorporates a great sacrifice of young love made by John Crady Cole’s love interest, Alejandra. Alejandra strategically surrenders her promising relationship with John Grady in order to accomplish a greater agenda: bailing him out of jail therefore, assuring the forbiddance of their of their future union. In this instance, the sacrifice of love and union reveals the character’s deeper values rooted in moral obligation. This passionate act of love exemplifies Alejandra’s strength and selflessness, while also displaying a deeper understanding to the overall meaning of the book by highlighting how valuable friendships and relationships come at a great cost.

In Ernest J. Gaines novel A Lesson Before Dying, a young African-American, Jefferson, is caught in the middle of a liquor shootout, and as the only survivor is convicted of murder and sentenced to death. During Jefferson’s trial, his attorney calls him a hog in an effort to persuade the jury that he could not have possibly planned a crime like this. Having heard this, Jefferson’s godmother, Miss Emma, calls on the local school teacher, Grant Wiggins, to visit Jefferson in prison and help prove to the community, more importantly the white people, that Jefferson is indeed a man, not a hog. Throughout the book, Grant often contemplates why he is helping Miss Emma; he debates within himself whether he should stay and help Miss Emma and

After the civil war ended many blacks and whites especially in the south, continued living as if nothing had changed with regards to the oppressions and poor treatment of African Americans. Narrator Grant Wiggins, of the novel A Lesson Before Dying, By Ernest Gaines, finds himself in a similar situation towards racism. Through his experience Grant is forced to transform Jefferson who was wrongly accused of a murder from a “HOG” into a man. Although Grant was forced to make jefferson a man, he himself became more of one as a result. Grant transformed from an ignorant pessimistic person into a sensitive and compassionate human being.

There are, in fact, numerous lessons learnt throughout the novel A Lesson Before Dying and they are learnt by a multitude of different characters. A significant number of characters throughout the book gradually evolve whilst story unfolds with this gradient of change emphasised in Jefferson, Grant Wiggins and the deputy, Paul. The lessons substantiate themselves in the words and actions of all the characters throughout the novel; however, it is Grant who learns perhaps the most. Through his interactions with Jefferson and his direct community, Grant, even unintentionally, develops his understanding of life beyond the grasp

Particular situations that assess an individual’s identity often mirrors the beliefs and morals they prominently value. Due to the overwhelming significance that sacrifice plays in life, writers and artists have often displayed this theme through various forms of artwork, such as novels, plays, and paintings. Adding it as a theme within pieces of literature and art encourages individuals to reflect on their own sacrifices and how it affects their values. As a result, writers such as Arthur Miller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and William Shakespeare utilized the concept of sacrifice to emphasize the important values of reputation, unconditional love, and loyalty.

In the melodramatic novel, A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, the author uses the theme sacrifice. He shows that sacrifice is important in his story because some of his characters must give up their lives for another. Miss Pross dedicates herself to Lucie because she wants Lucie to have a brighter future than she did. Then, out of his love and devotion for Lucie Manette, Sydney Carton sacrifices his life to save a life she loves. The sacrifices Miss Pross and Sydney Carton make express that mankind will give everything for what they love and believe in.

December 18, 1865, marked the end of African-American slavery in America, where-by black people gained more freedom in the land. However, a power imbalance between the black and white is still present. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines gives readers insight to the immense abuse and hatred towards black people in the 1940s of America and furthers the reader's knowledge of black segregation and how the black people never gave up for their freedom and rights. The novel’s main plot follows Grant Wiggins, a young black man who was given the responsibility to make Jefferson, a black man who was unjustifiably accused of murder and sentenced to death by electrocution become truly a man and not a “hog” which is what the lawyer labeled Jefferson as. Throughout the novel, readers can recognize the great bond created as Grant encourages and aids Jefferson in becoming a man before his “judgment day”. Nevertheless, the novel was not only about Jefferson’s lesson before his death, but it was a lesson for many other characters in the novel. The most important lesson to learn before dying is the lesson of never give up, which can be seen through the actions of Jefferson, Miss Emma, and Grant.