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Life Lessons In Ernest J. Gaines A Lesson Before Dying

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In Ernest J. Gaines’ novel, “A Lesson Before Dying,” there are several characters that learn valuable life lessons. This story tells the tale of a black man named Grant, and his efforts to convince Jefferson, a fellow black man who believes he is a hog, that he is a man. However, it is not just Jefferson that learns valuable life lessons in this novel. In his novel, “A Lesson Before Dying,” Ernest J. Gaines is showing that the most important lesson to take away from life is to never give up. The first character that exemplifies this is Jefferson, someone who truly redefines his life by gaining emotional strength and appreciation for others. Additionally, Grant shows this as well, as he goes from a man who wants to run away to someone who appreciates …show more content…

After his defense attorney mentions that he “would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair then [Jefferson]” (Gaines 8), he gives up on his life, his pride, his dignity, and his family. During his first few visits from Grant, he lets this comparison define him, he refers to himself as and acts like a hog, even kneeling “down on the floor [with] his head inside [a] bag [to eat], without using his hands” (Gaines 83). However, during a one on one talk, Grant has a very emotional monologue about why Jefferson needs to be a man. He tells Jefferson of the hope it would bring blacks, that it would crush the white myth that blacks are inferior to whites. This breaks through to Jefferson, he realizes that he is still a man, and gains confidence in himself. He realizes the impact it will have if he confronts that electric chair like he will be the one to execute it. This is further proven when he goes to the electric chair to be executed, as it is clear he “was the strongest man in that crowded room” (Gaines 253) during the execution. Jefferson’s tale is a phenomenal example of what can be accomplished when you don’t give up. Through determination, he is able to inspire the blacks of Louisiana, and prove wrong the people that thought he was a fool, useless, and an animal. With a tale like Jefferson’s to back it up, it becomes perfectly clear how important it is to never give …show more content…

He simply lacks all faith that the awful situation the blacks are in will ever change. When he sees his students, black children, outside enjoying physical labor, he wonders if he is “reaching them at all” (Gaines 62). Additionally, during the annual Christmas play, he muses to himself that it is the exact same every year, down to the audience members, and the songs, and the decorations. He’s haunted by his past where he was treated unfairly, and wants to give up and run away from the south. He even wants to give up on convincing Jefferson he is a man, but only continues due to the wishes of Miss Emma and Tante Lou. He even realizes that outside of his girlfriend, Vivian, there is “nothing [else he] care[s] for. Not school, not home, not [his] aunt, not the quarter, not anything else in the world. However, when he pours his heart out to Jefferson, encouraging him to prove the whites that they were wrong about him, this sets up the action that ends his troubles. Once Jefferson is executed, he realizes that it’s over, with Jefferson’s courageous actions, he has shown the whites the strength of blacks. Now that he has faith, this will allow him to build a stronger relationship with his family, Vivian, his students, and even Paul. This all happens because he did not give up on Jefferson, he kept pounding on that wall between them and he finally broke through. And what a

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