Analysis Of Ernest J. Gaines 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,

In the novel, A lesson before dying, by Ernest J. Gaines, Grant Wiggins is a person who can at times be ill to all people around him. Grant Wiggins, a teacher at the school, in the end of the book shows that he has changed over the course of the book. At the beginning, he thought that it was pointless to go visit jefferson to try to make him a “man”. He said “Now his godmother wants me to visit him and make him know-- prove to these white men--that he’s not a hog, that he’s a man”(Gaines 44). This is showing that not only does Grant not want to go to the Jail and talk to jefferson but he also doesn't want to go to deal with the sheriff either. And this was just the beginning of it. Near the end you can see his diversity changing when he finally

The third step of genocide is dehumanization. Dehumanization is when one group tears humanistic characteristics from another group comparing them to animals. In Jefferson’s case, he was classified as a hog. From the very beginning of the book, Miss Emma’s one request was for Grant to have Jefferson die feeling like a man and not a hog. Jefferson’s human characteristics faded as his death approached. During Christmas time, he wouldn’t eat, because he thought they were fattening up “the hog” for a Christmas Eve feast. Grant realized how badly this word effected Jefferson, so he began to use this word as motivation for Jefferson. He took the word white people used to weaken him to make him stronger. Grant began making speeches for Jefferson to prove to him he wasn’t a hog, but a hero. “The white people out there are saying you don’t have it - that you’re a hog not a man. But I know they are wrong (191).” When Jefferson found out his execution date, his mood changed from gloomy to almost

The main theme and lesson is that self-dignity is intrinsic to our survival. Jefferson even sacrificed his freedom, and ultimately his life, in order to die as a man with dignity. Although Miss Emma, Jefferson’s godmother, was old and frail, she did all that she could to make sure that Jefferson died nothing less than a man. In Jefferson’s last letter to Mr. Wiggins, he wanted to make sure that he was going to be remembered as a “strong man” (Gaines

This quote shows Grant’s determination to buy a brand new radio for Jefferson. Grant remembers when he and Jefferson would spend hours listening to music, and the love Jefferson had for it. This persistence and determination to buy the perfect radio shows that Grant cares for Jefferson and shows their friendship continuing to develop. Furthermore, Jefferson expresses his feelings and thoughts in a notebook that Grant gave to him. His thoughts are both good and bad, and it 's a way that Jefferson can explain his feelings. “im sory i cry mr wigin im sory i cry when you say you aint comin back tomoro im strong an reven ambros gon be yer wit me an mr harry comin to an reson i cry cause you been so good to me and make me think im somebody” (232). This quote shows how thankful Jefferson is that Grant came to his cell almost every day and treated him with respect and dignity. Jefferson learns to be braver by expressing himself in his journal and through his conversations with Grant. Through Grant’s persistence and

Grant is constantly having an eternal battle within himself on whether or not he is willing to take action against the white despotism. When Jefferson 's case is first brought up to Grant by Miss Emma and his aunt, he responds by saying, “Yes, I’m the teacher...And I teach what the white folks around here tell me to teach—reading, writing, and ’rithmetic. They never told me how to keep a black boy out of a liquor store" (Gaines ch 2). His whole education has revolved around the white system and what they want him to know and do. He feels that because he has been taught by the white-American

At the beginning of the book, Jefferson sees himself as powerless in a white-dominated society. Following the Antebellum period in the South, laws made “separate but equal” legal and created the societal view that the black man is unintelligible, uncivilized, and only three-fifths of a man (Brown). The author can relate to Jefferson and uses him as a symbol for the oppressed people because he has also felt in trapped in a predominantly white society (Gaines). Jefferson tells Grant that he is “just an old hog they fattening up to kill for Christmas” (83). He views himself as just an animal waiting to be slaughtered. He cries when he thinks about the stereotypes that have been set by the society; however, the readers witness a reflectional moment when Jefferson says, “manners are for the living” (130). He is reflecting upon how his dignity has been taken away. He only eats his food “like a hog

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

Grant already has a lot of things to deal with in his life and then when he gets handed one more major assignment which was to help Jefferson he thought he wouldn’t be able to handle it. He took a long time to think over his plan of what he was going to do with Jefferson and he came to a conclusion that he would try and help him. During this process Grant and Jefferson formed a trust with each other which later lead them to become friends. Grant brought him all sorts of things to comfort him like a radio, specific types of food he wanted and lastly a notebook and a pencil so that he could express his thoughts. Jefferson knew that he could go to Grant whenever he needed guidance. Grant also brought his class of students to meet Jefferson so that he would realize that he isn’t in his battle alone and that a lot of people care about him. Grant knew that he had helped Jefferson when Jefferson wrote in his diary “good by mr wigin tell them im strong tell them im a man” (Gaines, 234). These are the reasons why I think Grant learned that even the littlest things can help another person change the way they think of

The fact that Grant considers himself to be better than all of the black residents of Bayonne is one of the many things that holds Grant back from being an effective coach to assist Jefferson in his quest to become a man. Another contributing factor to his ineffective teaching is his lack of self confidence. If Jefferson does not see a worthy example of how to be a man, then he will never effectively become one himself. After a few visits to see Jefferson in his cell, persevering through his own belief that he is not making a difference, being told that he was wasting his time, he realized that he was doing much more than performing a favor for Miss Emma and Tante Lou. He realized that he wasn’t only trying to turn Jefferson into a man. This was Miss Emma and Tante Lou’s way of teaching himself a lesson on how to live his life and who he really is. “I need you,” I told him. “I need you much more than you could ever need me” (Gaines, 193). This quote represents the

For the majority of the novel, Grant denies that he can help Jefferson in any way at all. When his aunt and Miss Emma request that Grant go talk to Jefferson to teach him that he is a man, Grant explains, "It is only a matter of weeks, maybe a couple of months – but he's already dead…All I can do is try to keep the others from ending up like this…There's nothing I can do anymore, nothing any of us can do anymore" (14). Before receiving extreme pressure from his aunt to comply, Grant goes so far as to refuse to even attempt to help Jefferson. With this attitude that "There's nothing [he] can do anymore," Grant can, in fact, do nothing. Even though Grant correctly recognizes the fact that Jefferson will die in a short while, he fails to acknowledge the possibility of working through the injustices to make a difference. Grant, himself, feels stuck in his environment – he is "just running in place" there – yet he feels a sort of responsibility for his people and an attraction to the town, and cannot bring himself to leave (15). In order to "try to keep the others from ending up like" Jefferson, Grant wants to help his students, but he fails to respect them (14). If Grant has a bad day, he takes out his anger on his students, slapping them on the back of the head for playing with an insect, or sending them to the corner for an hour

Becoming a highly analyzed novel, many critics speak about their feelings. Carl Senna, one a literary critic, discusses the reasons for lack of communication in A Lesson before Dying. A large part of their communication problem comes directly from their class differences. Although Grant is not considered rich, he is well educated and lives rather comfortably, whereas Jefferson is nearly illiterate and has been a struggling farmhand most of his life. This gap that separates them makes it very difficult for them to speak. Neither one of them is at fault for this, but it frustrates Jefferson to the point where he often wants to leave the jail cell and not return. Also Grant speaks with Jefferson "reluctantly, prompted by his aunt, a moralizing scold and a nag"(Senna 5). Another good point Senna makes is that because of the time period, blacks were struggling to become equals and were more engrossed with their own wants and needs than worrying about Jefferson. Yes, they all realized that he is innocent but they are not at a time where they can fight for the innocence of this young boy. Therefore Grant "becomes their instrument in trying to save him[Jefferson] from disgrace"(Senna 5). Jefferson was not seen as much to these

In addition,Grants attitude begins to change after a few visit at the the cell with jefferson. Jefferson opened up to Grant about how he never had owned a radio or ate a bowl of ice cream in his life. Grant stated “I saw a slight smile come to his face, and it was not a bitter smile. Not bitter at all”. This action was a turning point for Grant. Jefferson’s thoughts revived Grants emotions and helped him see the actual person he was. Grant learned how to become educated and think like a man, rather than being negative all the time. He figured out that he wasn’t just accomplishing a good for Jefferson, but teaching his students that as an African American, you shouldn’t allow the white take control nor advantage of you.

Jefferson is a peculiar character in that the story is centred on his existence and, although his thoughts and opinions are seldom expressed, the lessons he learnt are completely unambiguous. As the tragic story goes, he is a very young black man unjustly condemned to death for a crime he did not commit. Furthermore, he is dehumanized in his defence when he is called a “hog” and this detrimentally affects his self esteem throughout a significant portion of the novel. However, this melancholic situation he is thrust into and his initial reaction to it is contrasted against his final moment which unashamedly reveals just how much he has learnt in his incarceration period. Jefferson, through the guidance of Grant, learns about the notion of dignity, a peculiarity that drives people towards the pinnacle of human

Throughout the novel, Grant undergoes psychological changes that allow him to become a hero. Grant’s life is filled with rage for the way he is treated by whites. Eventually this rage becomes self-loathing and cynicism, because he feels he is taking the unjust treatment from whites lying down. This downward spiral causes him to alienate himself from people he loves and feel that the community is helpless. During a conversation with Vivian, Grant says, he cannot face Jefferson because he cannot face himself and his own life. Vivian helps Grant realize that he has left the South in the past, has returned, and still has not left. This helps him realize that he is there for a reason. Another change happens when he accepts the task of helping Jefferson. At first Grant is angry and believes that Miss Emma wants him to perform a difficult and maybe impossible task of convincing Jefferson to die with defiance and character. After accepting this task and dealings with Jefferson, Grant realizes what a hero is and he can have an impact on the community. Finally when Grant breaks down in front of his students he realizes that he is ready to connect with the children that he has been so strict with. Many heroes have to overcome an inner struggle to realize their potential for greatness. Eventually through his interactions with his family, Vivian, Jefferson, and students he realizes to view everyone positively which gives him the strength and courage to make an