The Power Of Grant In A Lesson Before Dying

In A Lesson Before Dying by author Ernest J Gaines, Grant is the protagonist who is trying to do the right thing for his people. Grant is in a very turbulent situation, having to make Jefferson into a “man” by the time he is executed. This is the central plot of the story, but not the main themes and ideas of it. Grant is struggling to help Jefferson because he sees generations of injustice through him. “’We got our first load of wood last week,’ [Grant] told him. ‘Nothing changes,’ he said.” (Gaines, 53). The response Grant’s teacher gives him has a deeper meaning: he as Grants’ teacher failed to change the injustice and racism and Grant is in the same situation. “Nothing changes”, but Grant does not give up for the sake of Jefferson, his people, and most importantly, himself. At one point, Grant actually reveals that “it is too heavy a burden because of all the others who have run away and left their burdens behind. So, he,

Walter’s appeals were denied and despite many desperate arguments by Bryan in his defense, the court was not changing their mind. He soon hired Michael, an assisting attorney and former heroin addict. With their investigations, they discovered that Bill Hooks was paid by the sheriff to provide false testimony and plenty more incriminating evidence that only proved that Walter was innocent. Out of nowhere, Ralph Meyers contacted Bryan and wanted to talk to him. When Bryan got to the prison, Ralph admitted his whole testimony was a lie, and that he was threatened the death penalty by the police if he did not testify against Walter. He also admitted that he did not actually know anything about the murder of the woman, and only decided to come

Setting a novel in the south during the 1940s bring upon certain racial stereotypes that are deeply rooted in the mainstream culture. While these stereotypes may not always be true, they are extremely difficult to ignore and escape from. In Ernest J. Gaines’s novel A Lesson Before Dying, Grant Wiggins struggles to break away from the social norms of Bayonne Louisiana, and finds it challenging to convince others of his own worth. Although Grant has led a successful life, and has a respectable career, his white counterparts still treat him as a second-class citizen. Jefferson is another product of the system, who is also unable to elude the oppressive justice system of the time.

Everyone has something in their lifetimes that changes them for the better. Some people are changed by a friend that affected him. A few have a friend that they never expect to change them. An African-American man, who is angry, can change by a friend or an event. An older African American man can be angry from his place in life but has a new perspective on life from a change. In A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest Gaines describes Grant as a temperamental character who gets angry easily but through his time with Jefferson, Grant changes into a better person.

The setting in a book can affect how the reader views and understands the novel. The setting is a very important part of a book, whether it is important the setting stays the same in the book, or if the storyline is flexible enough that the setting can change. In the book “A Lesson Before Dying”, the setting is very important to the storyline. In this case, the storyline is not flexible enough to be set at any other time, than the 1940’s. It is very important it is set during this time because the views and understanding of race back then, makes a huge contribution to the understanding of the novel. The fact that Jefferson is treated differently and looked at differently

Ernest J. Gaines, the author of ‘A lesson Before Dying’ is an effective storyteller as he uses vast amounts of stylistic elements to demonstrate his points on characters, racism and stereotypes. Gaines uses elements like biblical allusions to draw subtle references about main characters, such as Grant, Jefferson and even Miss Emma. Gaines uses symbolism to represent key points in the novel like Jefferson's death, the community’s willingness to contribute and the respect that characters have for one another. Finally Gaines uses archetypes like ‘hero’ and ‘the underdog’ for characters Grant and Jefferson to give the reader a perspective of what the characters may have to go through with such a label. Using stylistic elements like biblical allusions,

After the Civil War ended, many blacks and whites, especially in the South, continued living as if nothing had changed with regards to the oppression and poor treatment of African Americans. Narrator Grant Wiggins, of Ernest J. Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying, possesses a similar attitude toward race relations. Through his experiences with a young man wrongly accused of murder, Grant transforms from a pessimistic, hopeless, and insensitive man into a more selfless and compassionate human being who can see the possibility of change in relations between whites and blacks.

There were many themes in the novel, “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest Gaines, such as racism, alcoholism, dignity, etc. The theme that best fits the novel is, that one man can make a difference in the lives of many. In this novel, the man is Jefferson, who was sent to prison without a fair trial because of racial prejudice. The theme, one man can make a difference in the lives of many, fits the book best because not only did Jefferson’s trial opened the eyes of the community to the racial prejudice that occurred, it also affected individual lives of Paul, the children in Bayonne, and Grant.

The Jim Crow Era was peak time for segregation causing Jefferson’s journey in the novel, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines to open up the eyes of many, no matter what one’s skin color is, by showing what it means to die as a hero even when seen as the villain. Grant is to make Jefferson a man before he dies by showing him the truths about religion, race, and the United States justice system. Jefferson also teaches Grant a few things about life, creating a unique bond between the two.

After the civil war ended many blacks and whites especially in the south, continued living as if nothing had changed with regards to the oppressions and poor treatment of African Americans. Narrator Grant Wiggins, of the novel A Lesson Before Dying, By Ernest Gaines, finds himself in a similar situation towards racism. Through his experience Grant is forced to transform Jefferson who was wrongly accused of a murder from a “HOG” into a man. Although Grant was forced to make jefferson a man, he himself became more of one as a result. Grant transformed from an ignorant pessimistic person into a sensitive and compassionate human being.

Throughout history and in literature, Black has always been portrayed as evil, whereas White has represented purity and light. These oversimplified stereotypes of something so abstract as skin color has plagued our culture with prejudice and hatred. Ernest E. Gaines, author of A Lesson Before Dying, tells the story of a young black boy named Jefferson who is set to die for essentially being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and a schoolteacher who is faced with the task of making him a “man”. The novel takes place in Bayonne, Louisiana in the 1940’s, a time when racism prospered. At this time in history people faced extreme prejudice based on the color of their skin. Though slavery had been abolished almost eighty years

The Right to Be Free In the novel A Lesson Before Dying, although Grant is an educated black man in the era of a racist society he has struggles greater than most men of his decent. I feel sorry for him because of his limitations, even though I view him as a coward. He cannot break free of his background and family. The three main female characters in the novel, Tante Lou, Miss Emma, and Vivian, restrict and limit Grant's choices. Grant realizes that freedom means leaving his small town and creating a new life, yet each woman holds a chain that keeps him from his destiny and the right to be free. First, Tante Lou, his aunt holds Grant from his dreams by refusing to let him go his own way. Tante Lou wants Grant to stay

December 18, 1865, marked the end of African-American slavery in America, where-by black people gained more freedom in the land. However, a power imbalance between the black and white is still present. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines gives readers insight to the immense abuse and hatred towards black people in the 1940s of America and furthers the reader's knowledge of black segregation and how the black people never gave up for their freedom and rights. The novel’s main plot follows Grant Wiggins, a young black man who was given the responsibility to make Jefferson, a black man who was unjustifiably accused of murder and sentenced to death by electrocution become truly a man and not a “hog” which is what the lawyer labeled Jefferson as. Throughout the novel, readers can recognize the great bond created as Grant encourages and aids Jefferson in becoming a man before his “judgment day”. Nevertheless, the novel was not only about Jefferson’s lesson before his death, but it was a lesson for many other characters in the novel. The most important lesson to learn before dying is the lesson of never give up, which can be seen through the actions of Jefferson, Miss Emma, and Grant.

A Lesson Before Dying is set in rural Louisiana in the 1940’s. The setting is ripe for the racism displayed in the novel. Ernest J. Gaines weaves an intricate web of human connections, using the character growth of Grant Wiggins and Jefferson to subtly expose the effect people have on one another (Poston A1). Each and every character along the way shows some inkling of being a racist. However, Paul is an exception. He treats everyone as if he or she is equal to him whether the person is black or white. In A Lesson Before Dying, author Ernest J. Gaines displays the different levels of racism during the 1940’s through his use of characterization.

Grant already has a lot of things to deal with in his life and then when he gets handed one more major assignment which was to help Jefferson he thought he wouldn’t be able to handle it. He took a long time to think over his plan of what he was going to do with Jefferson and he came to a conclusion that he would try and help him. During this process Grant and Jefferson formed a trust with each other which later lead them to become friends. Grant brought him all sorts of things to comfort him like a radio, specific types of food he wanted and lastly a notebook and a pencil so that he could express his thoughts. Jefferson knew that he could go to Grant whenever he needed guidance. Grant also brought his class of students to meet Jefferson so that he would realize that he isn’t in his battle alone and that a lot of people care about him. Grant knew that he had helped Jefferson when Jefferson wrote in his diary “good by mr wigin tell them im strong tell them im a man” (Gaines, 234). These are the reasons why I think Grant learned that even the littlest things can help another person change the way they think of