preview

Stereotypes In Ernest J. Gaines A Lesson Before Dying

Decent Essays

Brandon Berchuck
Mrs. Weishaar
Honors English IV
16 December 2015 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. …show more content…

This is partially do to the fact that Jefferson is forced to spend the end of his short life in solitary confinement, but also because Grant feels like he still needs to figure out how to help himself, before he tries to assist someone else. Throughout the novel Grant struggles with his own self-image, unable to determine if he should act like the college educated schoolteacher he is, or the African American stereotype he’s supposed to be. Encounters with Sheriff Guidry illustrates no matter how Grant acts, the white men in positions of power will continue to look down on him. When first confronted with Grant, Guidry immediately dismisses Grant’s efforts, calling his interference with Jefferson A waste of time, and saying “The only thing you can do is just aggravate him, trying to put something in his head against his will” (Gaines 49). Instances such as this, as well as the white superintendent of school district withholding resources, give the white men what they long for. Grant begins to question his importance to the people of Bayonne, and he starts to wonder if he truly is …show more content…

While Jefferson had a trial with a jury of his peers, the general consensus of Bayonne is that Young Black men had a predisposition for violent crimes. During his supposedly fair trial, Jefferson is treated as less of a human. The prosecution states, “Gentlemen of the jury, look at him-look at him-look at this. Do you see a man sitting here? Do you see a man sitting here?...Do you see a modicum of intelligence” (Gaines 7). The prosecution goes on to call Jefferson “a hog”, and Jefferson takes this to heart. These men saying these terrible things about Jefferson are in positions of high power, and it’s only natural to believe what these powerful men are saying. Jefferson later refuses food, complaining that, “I’m a old hog…just a old hog they fattening up to kill for Christmas” (Gaines 83). Auger’s A Lesson about Manhood: Appropriating 'the Word' in Ernest Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying is a great analysis of how power is derived in the novel, and why the society in Bayonne is arranged the way it is. Auger suggests that Gaines tries to show that there are social institutions such as education, religion, and law that are overdue for a change. Grant is a teacher, and is considered to be an intelligent man with some degree of power. This is contrary to the social norms in 1940s Louisiana,

Get Access