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Analysis Of Ernest J. Gaines A Lesson Before Dying

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Wayne W. Dyer once said, “judgments prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances,” and this is evidenced in Ernest J. Gaines’ novel, A Lesson Before Dying. Jefferson and Grant Wiggins are both black men living in a racial and prejudice society. Jefferson is a falsely accused, uneducated man about to be put to his death. Grant has a chance to initiate hope for Jefferson. During the early twentieth century, even after the African Americans gained their freedom, the white population felt superior to the black population, and no one in the black community had the power to go against this wrongful thinking. If Jefferson dies proving himself as a strong man, he is doing the unthinkable by taking a stand against the whites. A real …show more content…

He learns to love and accept everyone. This great personal and social improvement was caused by being let into the world that Jefferson has to face. Grant feels as if he can't stand up for the black community, but Jefferson can by dying a man, as described when he mentioned “a hero does for others. He would do anything for people he loves, because he knows it would make their lives better. I am not that kind of person, but I want you to be” (Gaines 191). Grant wants Jefferson to understand that by holding his head up high, he could make Tante Lou and Miss Emma happy because even though Jefferson may act differently, he still loves them and would do anything for them. This is Jefferson’s chance to prove everyone, including himself, that he has what it takes to stay strong as he marches towards his death. It will not only impact Jefferson’s immediate family but the surrounding community as well. More importantly, it will be standing up against the whites, a task that Grant was unable to do. Grant does his best to enlighten Jefferson of this opportunity he has. Unfortunately, Jefferson and Grant’s relationship isn’t always a smooth ride. Jefferson ignores everyone, including his nannan, and …show more content…

When Grant is angry, he tends to find Vivian or go to the Rainbow Club instead of facing his problems head on. Vivian is the only one who can comfort Grant. Grant gets into a bar fight, while supporting Jefferson, and Vivian is by Grant’s side through all this providing constant reassurement. Vivian and Grant love each other, which is mentioned countless times in the novel. The Rainbow Club is a place where Grant can hide from his burden of responsibility. The name “the Rainbow Club” suggests happiness and good fortune because rainbows are mainly associated with happy endings and fantasies as indicated when Grant said “I had to drive another two or three blocks before turning down an unlit road, which led back of town to the colored section. I could then see the Rainbow Club, with its green, yellow, and red arched neon lights” (Gaines 26). Eye catching and very lively, “the Rainbow Club” is very much unlike the surrounding unlit road that is filled with darkness.. The dark and gloomy areas are represented by his problems and responsibilities, while the Rainbow Club is Grant’s “happy place” to get away from his troubles. On the other hand, Jefferson deals with his anger by lashing out. Jefferson lashes out because he feels as if he can’t do anything about his impending death. For this reason, he continuously shames himself and others around him. Jefferson

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During the chapters 4-6 (pages 24-50), the conflict “man vs. self” was occurring. Grant Wiggins was having a couple conflicts with himself, one of which was whether to visit Jefferson in jail. Grant Wiggins was a school teacher, struggling with the decision whether to stay or escape to another state. Grant is put in an interesting position when his aunt and Miss. Emma, Jefferson’s g-dmother, wants him to visit Jefferson in the cell and educate him.

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This passage reveals the underlying causes of Grant’s anxiety about teaching Jefferson his final lesson. His own education has been based on mastering the cultural vocabulary of white America, and although he is respected in the quarter for his high level of academic achievement, Grant knows that he is only helping to perpetuate this system. Although he wants to help his students avoid the pitfalls of being black and poor in the deep South, he feels ill-equipped to do this despite his academic pedigree. This is one of Jefferson’s first pieces of dialogue that does not relate to him being a hog.

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No matter who a person is or what others think of him or her, that person will always have the opportunity to change for the better; Nobody has the power to tell a person what he or she can or cannot do. In the novel, A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest J. Gaines, the protagonist, Jefferson discovers that he could change as a whole person and finally become a man, even under difficult circumstances. He is constantly discriminated and does not feel welcomed to the society. Throughout the majority of the novel, Jefferson believes he is his own stereotype and takes it to heart when he is being called a hog. Although he knows he will be exiled, Jefferson and his family hopes for a change in his heart.

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One lesson that Jefferson learns from Grant is that he has the potential to make a difference to the whole town. Grant teaches Jefferson how he has as much potential as anyone else. By believing in Jefferson and giving him resources, Grant helps teach Jefferson this lesson. Jefferson changes throughout his time in prison to become more aware of his worth. One way Grant helps Jefferson realize this is by organizing his students and other people from his quarter to come and visit Jefferson, this makes Jefferson realize how he matters to his community.

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In the novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J Gaines, Grant is a main character that has a lot of influence over the people in his community. Some might even consider him a hero. I believe that Grant is a hero because he helps Jefferson become a man, changes himself for the better, and wants to continue changing the community. Over the course of the novel, Grant helps Jefferson become the man that he needs to be in order to walk to his death with honor. When Grant first begrudgingly went to visit Jefferson in prison Jefferson was in a really low state.

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In Ernest Gaines’ novel, A Lesson Before Dying, the author uses a third person point of view to assess the issue of racial injustice in the South during the 1940’s. Grant understands that justice is evaluated unfairly and knows that it does not favor the poor and uneducated black man. Due to Grant’s ability to be able to understand others, he successfully learns how to bring justice, while assisting Jefferson. This presents the audience the significance of the novel as a whole, embracing responsibility and facing injustice. Grant feels as if he shouldn’t feel obligated or pressured to help bring justice to Jefferson.

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Grant was able to help Jefferson become human again because of the lessons he taught him. Grant was able to convince Jefferson that he was a part of the community, he showed him what it means to be a friend to someone else, and was able to teach him what it means to be a man. This allowed Jefferson to stand up to the white community and show them that their racism cannot degrade him and his community. He also made Miss Emma, Jefferson’s godmother, proud. Grant was not only able to make Jefferson a man again but also a hero to his community.

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//Need to finish Intro. Ernest Gaines, a Twentieth Century novelist and short story writer, uses the influences of stories, values, and customs from his childhood in Pointe Coupee Parish community to write stories using “old-fashioned” modernism. Ernest Gaines was born in the bayous of Pointe Coupee Parish near Oscar, Louisiana on January 15, 1933. His parents, Manuel and Adrienne J. Gaines, sharecropped at a local plantation, so Gaines and his twelve younger siblings were raised by his aunt, Augusteen Jefferson, while his parents worked (Gaines 1 1). Augusteen Jefferson was severely handicapped and Gaines often used her as a model for several strong, self-sacrificing, religious, older women in his writing.

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Grant did not understand why he had to visit Jefferson and teach him how to become a man before he died. Because of that, it causes confusion between the two characters. “What do you want me to do?” I asked her. “What can I do?”

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In the novel A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines Grant finds redemption by helping Jefferson, Standing up for what he believes in and changing his view on life. Grant achieves redemption by helping Jefferson become a man before he dies by helping Jefferson become a man before he dies by asking questions about his wellbeing and overall health. When Grant goes and visits

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While Vivian and Grant walk across town, they come across pecan trees, leading Grant to recollect his memories of picking pecans which were challenging labor. The sight of the pecans evokes Grant’s memories of picking “pecans under [the] tree many times,” but despite the harsh labor that it brings, Grant “cracked pecans for [them] both” as he “loves [himself] half as much as [he] loves [Vivian]” (Gaines 108). The pecans symbolize the hardships endured by the black community, mirroring the challenging task of picking pecans, and Grant’s gesture of sharing them with Vivian highlights his ability to confront obstacles in their relationship. This inspires the idea of fostering deep connections, showing that fighting for genuine relationships that face challenges leads to valuable love. Grant’s visit to Jefferson, carrying pecans gifted by his students, deeply moves Jefferson and evokes a surge of emotion within Grant, filling him with immense pride for Jefferson’s progress.

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This is shown throughout the novel by showing that in the beginning of the novel, Grant wants nothing to do with Jefferson and his situation. As the book continues, he realizes that Jefferson is a human too and that he needs to realize how good he has it compared to some people. In the beginning of A Lesson Before Dying, Grant Wiggins struggles with accepting his responsibilities. This is shown in multiple examples. The two examples used in this paper were when Grant avoids all of his responsibilities and does not want anything to do with Jefferson.

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Grant did his best to teach Jefferson that he had worth and it paid off. “If I ain’t nothing but a hog, how come they just don’t knock me in the head like a hog? Strab me like a hog? More erasing, then: Man walk on two foots; hogs on four hoofs” (220). This quote demonstrates how Grant made a difference in Jefferson’s life and taught him to be a man of self worth.

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Grant’s girlfriend, Vivian, provides the support he needs to keep him from eluding his problems. Women in this novel play an influential part as a bridge to success in men’s lives, as Tante Lou and Vivian secure Grant 's role in the community, and as Miss Emma encourages Jefferson to die as a man. Even as Jefferson doubts the existing love for him, Miss Emma remains an influence in making him a man by going to many extents. From start to finish, she had always been the strong will who wanted the wellbeing of her godson. Knowing that the fate of her son was execution, she refused to let him die as a hog.

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When Grant first visited all Jefferson believes that was is a “hog”. Throughout grants visits, Jefferson soon comes to understand that he is not a “hog”. At the end of the execution he was able to walk proudly to the chair and when asked if he had any final words he said “Tell nannan that I walked”. Although Jefferson surely learned it was actually Grant who learned the better lesson because without Grant, Jefferson wouldn't of been able to walk proudly to his

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