Similarities Between A Lesson Before Dying And A Gathering Of Old Men

Similarities and Differences Between A Gathering of Old Men and A Lesson Before Dying
Both A Gathering of Old Men and A Lesson Before Dying take place in a small, made up town in Louisiana called Bayonne. However, while A Gathering of Old Men takes place in the 1970s, A Lesson Before Dying takes place about thirty years before, in the 1940s. Although there are many differences between these two books by Ernest J. Gaines, there are many similarities as well.
In both books, a white man has been murdered. In this setting of Louisiana, in the twentieth century, if i white man is murdered and there is any suspicion that a black man is responsible, he will be arrested and executed. In A Gathering of Old Men, Charlie is the character accused of murdering a white man. Charlie, is in fact, guilty. In A Lesson Before Dying,

Jefferson is innocent, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is a significant difference, because it shows how racism affected people’s lives. A man was killed because he was black, and they did not even take the time to go back and investigate the scene to reassure his guilt.

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A major similarity between A Gathering of Old Men and A Lesson Before Dying is the main theme. Both books express the theme of “becoming a man”. In A Gathering of Old Men, Charlie had always been known as a coward by everyone that knew him. At the end of the book, Charlie “finds courage” when he is down in the swamp. He comes back when his people need him most. He ends up dying for them and he dies a hero. This theme is also displayed in A Lesson Before Dying. Jefferson is accused of murder and robbery. He