A Lesson before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines

In the novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, racism and prejudice are clearly evident and talked about throughout the novel. The novel expresses the oppression of the blacks under a white-ruled society through the narrator, Grant. Grant is a well-educated black man who struggles to free himself from the oppression he has felt from the white community. Despite the fact that he is educated and a teacher, he initially lacks the vigor needed to take the first step against black discrimination. He has all this intellect, but does not realize until later on that it is not only intelligence he needs to overcome the oppression, but self-assertion, too. Education does not prove your intellectual worth in society; rather, it is what you do during difficult times that define your intelligence and strong character not just to yourself, but to the world.

Spring comes; school lets out for the cotton season. Rumor says that T.J. is spending more time with Melvin and R. W. and that they are just using him. One night in early summer, some nearby farmers come by and tell Papa not to buy anything for them on his next trip to Vickburg. Granger amongst other plantation owners are threatening to decrease pay and even kick the tenants off their land then put the men on a chain gang if they do not begin shopping at the Wallace store. All but seven families stop ordering goods from Vicksburg. Mama feels this is not enough to hurt the Wallaces but Papa will not give up. On the next trip to Vicksburg they are ambushed. While Papa is repairing a sabotaged wagon wheel, a truck pulls up and fires--a bullet grazes his head. Then the horse rears up and pulls the wagon wheel over Papa's leg. L. T. makes short work of the men however, who turn out to be the Wallaces, breaking Dewberry Wallace's back.

Grant is very strict towards his students. Grant then thinks about his teacher when he was a child, Matthew Antoine, describes him to us, tells about his influence, and what they talked about. Next, Grant goes with Miss Emma to visit Jefferson in his cell, but when they talk to him, he doesn’t acknowledge that they are their and is difficult to them. During Grant’s next visit, Jefferson acts like a hog and is infatuated with the idea that he is one. Grant wants to leave town with Vivian, but there are several things holding them back. Grant and Vivian discuss the names of their future children and talk to Miss Emma and Tante Lou. The visits to the jail continue and there isn’t much progress with Jefferson. Jefferson doesn’t want to eat or talk. Grant goes to Mr. Pichot’s house and Jefferson’s execution date is set on a Friday. Another visit, Jefferson tells Grant that he wants a gallon of ice cream for dinner his last night. Grant gets him a radio to keep him company, but Reverend Ambrose, Tante Lou, and Miss Emma thing the radio is a bad thing for him. Grant also gets Jefferson a notebook and pencil so he can right down his feelings or what he’s thinking about. You start to see Grant and Jefferson start to bond and Grant leaves happy with what is happening. The next time he goes to see Jefferson, Miss Emma goes.

To begin, three brothers, Lafayette, Charlie, and Ty’ree were orphaned due to the tragic death of their parents. Over the course of two days, Lafayette (the narrator) includes flashbacks to earlier events. After spending over two years in Rahway Home for Boys, a juvenile detention center, Charlie recently returned home. Watching Charlie get ready to leave the apartment with his new friend Aaron, Lafayette laments the changes that have become apparent in his brothers actions since he came home. Once, Charlie was the kind of kid who would stay up late telling stories to his younger brother. And who had cried over a wounded dog, he saw on the street. Now, he barely even looks at or speaks to Lafayette, and he usually denies feeling anything at all. Charlie seems to prefer spending time with tough characters such as Aaron and acting tough in the streets. Lafayette has even taken to

Vivian: Her frustration with Grant's behavior and desire for better communication is evident. Chapter 27 We see Grant going through his usual routine, like going to church and teaching, which sets the stage for his internal struggle. He clashes with Reverend Ambrose over saving Jefferson's soul, showing his reluctance to embrace the Reverend's beliefs despite his education.

The book “ A Lesson Before Dying “ by Ernest J. Gaines, displays that living in Louisiana in the 1940s, demonstrates the social difference between the mulattos , the african americans, and the caucasians. The following paragraphs will discuss the tension between mulattoes, african americans and caucasians.

They end up at a diner, where the officer had stopped, and the owner, Henshaw, refused to serve Tibbs because of his skin color. Tibbs notices that the officer changed his route, which leads Gillespie to question the officer of the murder. Gillespie and Tibbs discover that Sam made a large deposit to the bank the day after the murder, along with a local named Purdy filed a charge against Sam for getting his under-age sister, Delores, pregnant. Sam is arrested, without Tibbs approval. During Delores’ interrogation, Purdy is outraged that Tibbs was there because he is black. Purdy organizes a lynch gang to get back at Tibbs.

Inequality was a big issue back then, when there was not a clear understanding of what it was. The novel “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines was set in 1948 before the Civil Right Movement. It shows the problems and successes of African-Americans. The short story “None of this is Fair” by Richard Rodriguez was about how Affirmative Action benefited the minority making it unfair for white students to succeed. In the novel, Grant is a black person and educated, he is different from the other black people that are supposed to work only on the field. In the short story Rodriguez was a Mexican-American student and during his time there was a program called Affirmative Action. This program was designed to help the minority groups get job

down the holes that clogged them to where the rabbits couldn’t get out. The rabbits then started killing each other somewhere lucky to get out like those two but the others did not get out.

In his poignant and moving novel, A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest J. Gaines asks us questions that reignite our own quest for the meaning of compassion. What do you teach a man condemned to die? What lesson might be useful in the final month of a man’s life? Is there a futility that we succumb to when we accept the judgment of men? These are the questions faced by Grant Wiggins, a young, black school teacher who has returned to his small Louisiana hometown following his college education. Persuaded by his aunt to counsel Jefferson, also a young, black man who has been sentenced to die for an armed robbery in which he was an unwitting bystander. Not to exonerate him, but to teach him. To give him something to call his own before he leaves this earth: knowledge.

Vivian is Grant’s beautiful, passionate, and smart girlfriend. She teaches at a black Catholic school in Bayonne. During the book she is married, but separated from her husband, so her relationship with Grant is kept a secret. She has two small children with her husband. Vivian loves Grant but often distrusts him because of his lack of loyalty to his people and hometown.

I chose this scene because it shows that Grant’s hard work paid off and that he was able to successfully change Jefferson’s perspective on life and about himself. It helped Jefferson feel like he is a human being and we can see this because in the last scene we could see that Jefferson still thinks that he is a hog but now he doesn't think that he is a hog and he is doing things humans do.

The setting of the story was set in Louisiana on Marshall Plantation. The plantation owner, Cajun was informed that a farmer by the name of Beau Boutan was murdered of front of another man’s home. Everyone immediately suspects Mathus killed Boutan, because Boutan lifeless body still was in Mathus yard. Cajun tried to say she killed Boutan to protect Mathus but no one believed her, especially Miss Merle. Cajun thinking quickly, ordered for seventeen older men to gather around Mathus yard. The men was told to bring shotguns with empty shotgun shells, to defend the crime scene. Known for his lynching Sheriff Fix arrived at the crime along with Sheriff Mapes. Sheriff Mapes sees Boutan dead, knowing its Sheriff Fix’s son, he quickly ordered for

His family’s confidence never dwindled; time after time, they joined a crusade to save Richard’s soul. Tensions began to increase when Aunt Addie enrolled Richard in the religious school where she taught. Labeled as a black sheep, Richard continued to defy the iron fist of his family. The conflict between Aunt Addie and Richard exploded when he was accused of eating walnuts in class. Richard knew the boy in front of him was guilty, but he abided by the “street code” and said nothing. Despite Richard’s denial, Aunt Addie did not conduct an investigation and immediately beat Richard in front of the class. After submitting to his aunt, he finally confessed the guilty suspect. Rather than to commend Richard for the truth, Aunt Addie attempted to beat him again after school. However, brandishing a knife, Richard defended himself. He had stood up for his dignity and pride, something that was worth more to him than anything.

As the new judge’s family moves into the town, Tom immediately falls in love with their daughter, Becky. Tom immediately becomes friends with her and persuades Becky to get engaged to him, but their friendship dissipates when Becky finds out that Tom has been engaged to another girl before. After getting dumped by Becky, Tom decides to tag along with Huckleberry Finn, whose father is the town drunkard to the local graveyard late at night to try to cure