Both A Lesson Before Dying and Into the Wild use their settings to further their character’s conflicts. A Lesson Before Dying is set in pre-Civil Rights, segregated Southern America where casual Racism ruled everyday life. Exemplified by the existence of plantations and colored maids as well as comparisons drawn between the White and Colored Schools. These examples setup an environment that was hostile towards anyone who wasn’t white and kickstarted the main conflict. Jefferson, a black man, is innocent of the crimes he is convicted of but since the jury he was facing was all white he is found guilty as well as called a hog. This is the center point of the book’s conflict as Jefferson needs to prove that he is a man and face his death with dignity. To prove himself as more than a colored man to show the whites what they don’t want to see, a man. Into the Wild also uses setting as a key point of conflict, however it’s setting advances the conflict rather than starting it. Chris has success during his initial …show more content…
Gaines writes A Lesson Before Dying in the style of a Novel. Everything the user sees is from the perspective of Grant Wiggins. The only time we get to know characters is when Grant is talking to them. This limits what we see since Grant isn’t the most outgoing person. However Into the Wild has a distinct interview-like setup, characters talk about how Chris McCandless impacted their lives like they were answering questions. This style puts Krakauer in the role of an omniscient storyteller as he shows the reader Chris McCandless’s life as well as the lives of those he touched. This unique style comes from Krakauer’s previous experience as a journalist. This style also implies the possibility of Krakauer being an unreliable Narrator whereas the way A Lesson Before Dying is written so that Grant is definitely a reliable Narrator. This makes the differences in style between the two books even more