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Pride In A Lesson Before Dying

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Though Jefferson, a man wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death in A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, has to stay strong, two men stand out as strong or even stronger, Grant Wiggins and Reverend Ambrose. The two men are some of the best leaders in the community but they have different strengths, and Grant is better able to help Jefferson meet his unfortunate death. Throughout A Lesson Before Dying Reverend Ambrose and Grant Wiggins are some of the best leaders in the Quarter. The Reverend is a leader to all that are in pain or otherwise troubled. According to the Reverend, “I know my people. I know what they gone through.” (Pg. 218) The Reverend shows himself to be the man that is confided upon. The Reverend seems …show more content…

Grant does this by going to Jefferson and talking about the small things, like asking “‘Do you like fruit, Jefferson?’ I ask him. ‘I can pick up some fruit- and some pecans. Ice Cream? Funny books? Things like that.’” (Pg. 170) He does this and is immediately able to connect with Jefferson. This action helps Jefferson start along the path to knowing who he is and why he will die. Grant shows his strength in connection in this, which is something the Reverend just doesn’t have. The Reverend just tries to do what he thinks will save Jefferson’s soul. This might be a noble cause, but it has no effect with Jefferson, when you are “...go’n talk about God.” (Pg. 214) you lose sight of who you are saving. The Reverend does not even possess the strength to try and connect. In the end, Jefferson does what Grant had told him to do, walk. Grant was told that "'He was the strongest man in that crowded room, Grant Wiggins,'" (Pg. 253) after Jefferson walked to the chair. Grant is the man who can make a man who had been wrongly convicted, called a hog by his own lawyer and sentenced to death decide that he will walk to the chair, proud of who he

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Grant Wiggins and Jefferson are protagonists. Their individual survivals depend on their mutual support. It’s Jefferson's story, but it is narrated by Grant. Miss Emma and her friend, Tante Lou, are inseparable. Sometimes they seem too close that it is hard to tell which one is speaking.

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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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Grant is hopeful to change Jefferson by giving him a notebook and having him write down all his feelings. Grant even dreamed that, “There was a lot of erasing, then he wrote: If I ain’t nothing but a hog, how come they just don’t knock me in the head like a hog? Starb me like a hog? More erasing, then: Man walk on two foots; hogs on four hoofs,” (Gaines 220). Eventually, Jefferson did manage to write down all of his thoughts and get his anger out of him.

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There is an immense change in the way Grant acts from the beginning of the book to the end. In the early part of the book Grant was dreading having to go and talk to Jefferson. He really felt as though Jefferson was already too far gone to be convinced that he was actually a man. For the first few visits Grant was accompanied by Miss Emma to the jail to see Jefferson. Which was really the only reason Grant kept going to see Jefferson.

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Undoubtedly, Grant registers the unfairness and lack of justice. Even though this is the case, Grant still continues to help Jefferson become the man he

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The young prophet, Imam Hussein once said, “death with dignity is better than love with humiliation.” In Ernest Gaines novel A Lesson Before Dying, presents the importance of dignity through the journey of a young black man and his wrongful conviction. The lesson that dignity comes from loving and being loved through the actions and thoughts of Grant Wiggins, Reverend Ambrose, and Jefferson is taught. Who these characters love, who they care for, and how and individuals that love them, define the dignity they feel and experience in their lives.

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“It’s only a matter of weeks, a couple of months, maybe.”(Gaines 13.) This quote shows that Grant had a huge problem with understanding why he had to teach a human being such non-sense at the time. Grant not understanding made it harder for him to deal with what Jefferson was going through before the execution. Leading towards the execution Grant became more as a friend to Jefferson. He understood the situation Jefferson was going through better, which made their connection stronger than before.

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After The fight between Grant and the guy at the Rainbow club Grant wakes up and asks his friend Claiborne what happened to him Claiborne responds: “You wouldn't stop fighting.” (204). This is showing that Grant has determination to Jefferson because he has helped Jefferson so much and knows that he is innocent and going through a rough time and the guy at the Rainbow Club didn't know that. So Grant kept on fighting and was so determined that Claiborne had to knock him out to get him to stop fighting. Grant Achieves redemption by standing up for what he believes

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The main conflict of the story is Grant convincing Jefferson that he is truly a man and that there is hope in the world. After Jefferson’s sentence is set, Jefferson doesn’t have hope for the world and thinks that he going to die anyways, so why care. Grant is teaching him that he can help others and that there is hope in the world and in the future. So, Grant is using character motivation to help Jefferson throughout the entire novel. The other literary term, diction, is repetition of a word to show its importance.

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As the story approaches its ending, Grant begins to fully accept and take on his responsibilities. The two examples used to support this argument are when Grant visits Jefferson toward the end when he is nearing his death. The other example to support this argument is when Paul comes to tell him that everything went

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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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Reverend Hale’s dialogue, stage directions, and other people’s perceptions of him reveal a man characterized by self-importance; furthermore, his enthusiasm for the witch trials in the beginning and his misguided

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For example, when Grant tries to purchase a radio for Jefferson from Edwin’s Department Store, the white sales clerk shows him no respect, repeatedly attempting to prevent him from buying a brand new radio and later making him wait several minutes to pay while she struck up a conversation with another white woman. There are also several instances in the book in which normal conversation is taking place between blacks and whites and a given white person is annoyed or angered by Grant’s speech because he is educated. They are frustrated when a black person, who should be below them in all aspects of life by societal standards, comes across as better in any way. Often, Grant must consciously watch his choice of words as to not let his higher level of education show too much by not using slang or using proper grammar. One instance of this mindfulness occurs when Grant brings the radio to the courthouse and the Sheriff asks if it has any “batries.”

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Grant has gone to a University and is now a teacher in the quarter where he grew up. To his community, Grant is the most educated person in the quarter and is constantly being admired by them. Most of the admiration comes from Miss Emma in hopes that Grant can transform Jefferson into a man before he is executed. Miss Emma states, “I want the teacher visit my boy. I want the teacher make him know he’s not a hog, he’s a man” (pg.

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