Prejudice And Discrimination In Ernest Gaines A Lesson Before Dying

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands at a moment of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” -MLK. A Lesson Before Dying is based in a modest community in the south. Written in 1993 but set right after WW2, A Lesson Before Dying promptly displays the prejudice and discrimination that many people faced during the 1940s. Through his writing, Ernest J. Gaines demonstrates the challenges and struggles of being successful, back in a time where many black men were brought down to the level of an animal. One of the main characters, Jefferson, is wrongly accused of a murder and is sentenced to death. The situation seems dire, but with the help of a teacher in need of redemption, he is able

On page 138, Grant visits Jefferson after Miss Emma comes home crying due to Jefferson still thinking of himself as a hog. Grant tries to get Jefferson to realize that he needs to become a man for his nannan by saying “You can keep her from crying. You can make it easier for her. You can do her that favor.” In this quote when Grant says “You can make it easier for her,” he is referring to Miss Emma who is Jefferson's meak aunt. Miss Emma wants Jefferson to leave behind a legacy so he has left a mark on the world. Grant is talking to Jefferson when he says this quote and he means that if Jefferson truly can become a man, Miss Emma will feel fulfilled and have no regrets when she passes away. Obviously, Jefferson knows that by acting like a hog, he is not only hurting himself and his dignity, but he is also having an effect on other people. The one person he really loves is Miss Emma and after Grant says that Jefferson “can do her that favor” he feels obligated to try to gain back his dignity so he can make Miss Emma happy. This is clearly an example of how Jefferson feels obligated to become a man to make his nannan happy because right after Grant tells him this, Jefferson tries to make him angry by talking about Vivian in an inappropriate way. Through this we can see that Jefferson does not care for his own dignity, so the only reason he would

In Jefferson's diary, he writes “good by mr wigin tell them im strong tell them im a man good.” When Jefferson says “Tell then im a man good,” it shows that he finally cares about his own dignity. Earlier in the book he acted like a hog and tried to disregard people. Now, Jefferson is trying to change his legacy from being a hog to being a man. Furthermore, when he says “tell them im strong” he is realizing how he could be a hero because all the white people who convicted him and despise his race are expecting a hog to go to the chair, but Jefferson wants this to change. He wants to go to the chair as a man and be a symbol for his community. At this point, Jefferson realizes the true potential power he holds. He knows that if he defies his own stereotype and goes to the chair a man, all his power will be unleashed and he will leave behind such a monumental legacy that no one could taint it. Next, after Jefferson has been executed, Paul talks to Grant about the execution and says: “He was the strongest man in that crowded room Grant Wiggins… we all had each other to lean on.. He looked at the preacher and said ‘tell nannan I walked.’ And straight he walked Grant Wiggins, straight he walked.” This is an example of how Jefferson recognizes how much power he holds because he says ‘“Tell nannan I walked.’” He says this because he wants people to know that he walked to the