The Value Of Life In Ernest J. Gaines A Lesson Before Dying

Lessons in life are taught through experiences, and some of the most impactful truths are gained through hardships. In A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, Grant Wiggins is asked to make Jefferson into a man, rather than letting him die thinking he is a hog. While Grant begins the novel harshly against trying to change a dead man, he learns a lesson that will impact his life for the better. Grant Wiggins learns that he can have an impact on others and that empathy and love are important to living a fulfilled life through his journey of teaching Jefferson to die like a man.

Grant initially does not see the point in making Jefferson a man because of his lack of empathy for him and his disbelief that any change matters to a man with a death

And I can’t raise the dead. All I can do is try to keep the others from ending up like this-but he’s gone from us. There’s nothing I can do anymore, nothing any of us can do anymore” (14). Before he starts his visits with Jefferson, in Grant’s mind, there is no point in teaching a dead man a lesson. He does not believe that his teachings will have any impact because the outcome is the same whether he believes that he is a man or not. Grant does not stop to think about the impact it has on the rest of the community or even himself. After a few visits to Jefferson with Miss Emma, Grant is tricked into going alone by Miss Emma faking sick and telling Grant he has to go alone because she is not well enough. When he is told that he still needs to go see Jefferson he exclaims, “You’re saying I’m supposed to visit him alone? He’s no kin-”(77). Grant does have any

In return, Grant gives Jefferson confidence in himself and his humanity, so much so that his last words were, “‘Tell Nannan I walked.’ And straight he walked”(254). Before Grant gets through to Jefferson, he thinks he is no better than a hog and nothing in his life matters. Grant makes him believe that his last moments on earth are meaningful and that he should not spend them like a hog, so he walks to his death like a man. Grant’s lesson affects everyone around him, not just Jefferson, but also Miss Emma, the reason he saw Jefferson in the first place. Grant gains a sense of love and respect for Jefferson and once he lets himself show his emotions, he notices, “I was crying” (256). Grant progresses a long way throughout his time with Jefferson. When he is first asked to teach Jefferson to be a man Grant is defiant and believes that it does not matter how he thinks of himself because he is already a dead man. After he starts to make a connection with Jefferson, he cares for the man and even though he is cold to others on the day of Jefferson’s execution, he is in mourning for him. Grant’s mindset is changed through his transformation of Jefferson before his sentenced death because of their growing care and respect for each