A Lesson Before Dying Literary Analysis

“There is a powerful need for symbolism,” says famous architect Kenzo Tange. In literature, it is called symbolism when one thing is meant to represent something else. It helps to create meaning and emotions in a story. In Earnest Gaines’s novel, which is centered on African American lives during the 1940s, A Lesson Before Dying, he utilizes food, a notebook, and a chair to give readers a visual of the deeper and more significant points in the story that he is trying to convey. The first and most evident symbol in Gaines’s novel is food. The offering and eating of food symbolizes love between characters. In chapter four of A Lesson Before Dying, one of the main characters, Grant Wiggins, is offered food from his aunt, Tante Lou, but he denies it due to anger. She responds by

The first aspect is Jefferson’s reconciliation with his humanity. The notebook was given to him by Grant so that he could write down his thoughts and any questions he might have. While writing in the journal, Jefferson begins to reflect on his life and the effects that society had on his life, beginning at the age of six when he was forced to start working in the field (Gaines 227). The notebook also serves as a sign of Jefferson and Grant’s friendship. Throughout Jefferson’s writing in the journal that he receives from Grant, he writes it as if it’s a letter specifically for Grant. This provides evidence that Jefferson is still looking to Grant for guidance even when he is alone in his cell. Lastly, the notebook is a symbol of the relationship between blacks and whites. Before being executed, Jefferson, a black man, asks Paul, a white deputy, to personally deliver the notebook to Grant (Gaines 245). With the fact that a whole chapter of the novel is dedicated to what Jefferson wrote in the notebook, it can be concluded that this symbol is a very important contribution to the novel