Analysis Of Ernest J. Gaines A Lesson Before Dying: Nihilism
Nihilism is the rejection of all religious and moral principles and the belief that life is pointless. A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest J. Gaines, is a novel in which Jefferson, a young, black plantation worker, is wrongfully sentenced to the death penalty. While in court, his lawyer calls him a “hog” and his godmother is very displeased with this. She makes Grant, a black teacher, visit Jefferson in jail and teach him a lesson to make him feel like a man before he dies, hence the name of the book. Ever since Jefferson has been in jail, he has lost all faith and does not believe he is is worth anything. He often says that “nothing matters” and that he is a “hog”. Grant repeatedly tells Jefferson that he is not a hog and that he is a strong …show more content…
Not only do nihilists have trouble finding meaning in life, but they have trouble finding meaning in relationships as well. Jefferson has not had a great relationship with Grant or Miss Emma ever since he was put behind bars. Nihilists tend to reject affection from others. When Miss Emma visits Jefferson in jail, he does not talk to her at first. He ignores her while she is offering him food. Frustrated, Miss Emma exclaims “ain’t you go’n speak to [Miss Emma], Jefferson?” (72). Jefferson remains silent even after Miss Emma says this. Miss Emma has always been there for Jefferson. She has always loved him and always fed him. She raised him to be the person he is, and now he will not even talk to her. This was making Miss Emma extremely unhappy “she was ready to cry” (72), and Jefferson did not care. He is unable to maintain a healthy relationship. It is not only Miss Emma that Jefferson has a bad relationship with, but also with Grant. Grant thinks these visits are pointless and wants to know if Jefferson thinks the same. “Are you trying to hurt [Grant], Jefferson?” (84) Grant asked him. “Are you trying to make [Grant] feel bad for your being here? You don’t want [Grant] to come back here anymore?” (84). This shows that Jefferson does not care for Grant and he is not cooperating with him. By behaving this way, he is making Grant feel rather unneeded. Jefferson is in a painful situation where understanding relationships and the meaning of them is very
Thomas Jefferson Quotes And Analysis
853 Words | 4 PagesGrant did his best to teach Jefferson that he had worth and it paid off. “If I ain’t nothing but a hog, how come they just don’t knock me in the head like a hog? Strab me like a hog? More erasing, then: Man walk on two foots; hogs on four hoofs” (220). This quote demonstrates how Grant made a difference in Jefferson’s life and taught him to be a man of self worth.
Teaching Jefferson's Final Lesson Analysis
187 Words | 1 PagesThis passage reveals the underlying causes of Grant’s anxiety about teaching Jefferson his final lesson. His own education has been based on mastering the cultural vocabulary of white America, and although he is respected in the quarter for his high level of academic achievement, Grant knows that he is only helping to perpetuate this system. Although he wants to help his students avoid the pitfalls of being black and poor in the deep South, he feels ill-equipped to do this despite his academic pedigree. This is one of Jefferson’s first pieces of dialogue that does not relate to him being a hog.
Differences Between Grant And Jefferson
275 Words | 2 PagesThis exchange was the one that showed that Grant finally got through to Jefferson. Time after time Grant brought food to Jefferson, and sat and waited for him to say something. When it was time for Grant to go, he asked Jefferson everytime if there was something he wanted to tell his nannan, a last attempt at trying to get Jefferson to say something. This time, at the end of their sessions together, Jefferson finally spoke and showed that Grant’s time with him wasn’t wasted. This time, Grant brought Jefferson pecans and peanuts that the children from the school brought him with the intention of giving them to Jefferson.
A Lesson Before Dying Character Analysis
1015 Words | 5 PagesEventually Miss Emma wasn 't able to visit Jefferson with Grant because she had fallen ill. However despite Grants contemplation, he continued to go and visit Jefferson. One of the last times that Grant visits Jefferson he notices that Jefferson had been writing in a journal when he sat down to read it he saw that Jefferson had written “If I ain 't nothing but a hog, how come they just don 't knock me in the head like a hog? Stab me like a hog?...
Grant In A Lesson Before Dying
763 Words | 4 PagesHe believed that they would all turn out the same and he did not want that for himself or Jefferson, but he knew deep down that they were just as stuck as every other person of colour. Grant did not want Jefferson to be like him and the rest of them, he wanted Jefferson to prove them wrong; prove to them that he was so much more of what they made of him by walking to that chair with his chin held high and his shoulders as straight as ever. However, Grant did not attend Jefferson’s execution. Maybe it was because he didn’t want to be seen as a failure if ever Jefferson decided to be what was said of him during his execution. Maybe he was too afraid of breaking down as Jefferson walked toward the chair alone.
Women In A Lesson Before Dying
1097 Words | 5 PagesGrant’s girlfriend, Vivian, provides the support he needs to keep him from eluding his problems. Women in this novel play an influential part as a bridge to success in men’s lives, as Tante Lou and Vivian secure Grant 's role in the community, and as Miss Emma encourages Jefferson to die as a man. Even as Jefferson doubts the existing love for him, Miss Emma remains an influence in making him a man by going to many extents. From start to finish, she had always been the strong will who wanted the wellbeing of her godson. Knowing that the fate of her son was execution, she refused to let him die as a hog.
A Lesson Before Dying Themes
2126 Words | 9 PagesThe other example is when Grant goes to Bayonne and continues to ask Vivian over and over again if she wants to leave. As the story continues, Grant begins to accept his responsibilities a little bit, but not completely yet. The two examples used to support this argument were when Grant visits Jefferson in the jail and tells Jefferson that he is going to lie to Miss Emma by telling her that he ate the food even though he didn’t. The other example is when Grant asks Paul how Jefferson is doing. This shows that he cares but not completely.
Comparing Jefferson And Grant's Death Of A Man
301 Words | 2 PagesJefferson’s lawyer tells the all white jury that Jefferson is nothing more than a ‘hog’, lacking any intelligence or understanding. Grant’s Tante Lou and Miss Emma try to get Grant to meet with Jefferson and teach him to be a man so that he can die with dignity. Grant struggles to get through to Jefferson and questions whether he should even bother trying. Jefferson finally starts to listen to Grant and Grant feels like he is able to reach Jefferson.
Similarities Between Grant Wiggins And Jefferson
134 Words | 1 PagesGrant Wiggins and Jefferson are protagonists. Their individual survivals depend on their mutual support. It’s Jefferson's story, but it is narrated by Grant. Miss Emma and her friend, Tante Lou, are inseparable. Sometimes they seem too close that it is hard to tell which one is speaking.
A Lesson Before Dying Setting Analysis
1620 Words | 7 PagesHe claims nothing matters and doesn’t want to talk or eat. Jefferson has a very low sense of self-worth, this is connected to the way he was treated at his trial, but also probably his whole life growing up in a racially segregated town. Jefferson believes he may really be no better than a hog, just like his lawyer stated during his trial. He states, “’I’m a old hog…Just a old hog they fattening up to kill for Christmas” (83 Gaines). Jefferson believes the idea that he is less human than a white person and has become obsessive with the idea he is no better than a
Manhood In A Lesson Before Dying
670 Words | 3 PagesThe main conflict of the story is Grant convincing Jefferson that he is truly a man and that there is hope in the world. After Jefferson’s sentence is set, Jefferson doesn’t have hope for the world and thinks that he going to die anyways, so why care. Grant is teaching him that he can help others and that there is hope in the world and in the future. So, Grant is using character motivation to help Jefferson throughout the entire novel. The other literary term, diction, is repetition of a word to show its importance.
Racial Injustice In Ernest Gaines A Lesson Before Dying
813 Words | 4 PagesAs Tante Lou keeps on annoying Grant to visit Jefferson; he gets aggravated. Reaching his boiling point after being vexed by Tante Lou, Grant exclaims, “ He wants me to feel
A Lesson Before Dying Redemption Analysis
749 Words | 3 PagesIn the novel A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines Grant finds redemption by helping Jefferson, Standing up for what he believes in and changing his view on life. Grant achieves redemption by helping Jefferson become a man before he dies by helping Jefferson become a man before he dies by asking questions about his wellbeing and overall health. When Grant goes and visits
Nihilism In The Stranger By Albert Camus
768 Words | 4 PagesIn The Stranger by Albert Camus: the protagonist, Meursault, appears to be indifferent to everything throughout the book. Even on fundamentally important concepts such as death, love, and time. Because to Meursault, “we’re all going to die, it’s obvious that when and how doesn’t matter (2.5.114).” This general lack of interest is similar to the Universe because if the grand scheme of things, our lives, and our deaths mean nothing and would have no real impact on the future of the Universe. Our deaths turn meaningless over time, eventually love will fade away, and time will blur together to the point that 100 years will seem like a millisecond.
Essay On Nihilism
1418 Words | 6 PagesA greater number of people see the world in twofold classes. They trust that there is either, an inborn good great that we should all comply, or there are no guidelines and life is pointless political agitation. Nihilism contends for a central way: we need inborn request, yet are characterized by our decisions, which implies that we should begin settling on more brilliant decisions by comprehension the truth in which we live more than the human social reality which we have used to supplant it in our brains (nihil, 2016) So what is nihilism?
More about Analysis Of Ernest J. Gaines A Lesson Before Dying: Nihilism
Thomas Jefferson Quotes And Analysis
853 Words | 4 PagesTeaching Jefferson's Final Lesson Analysis
187 Words | 1 PagesDifferences Between Grant And Jefferson
275 Words | 2 PagesA Lesson Before Dying Character Analysis
1015 Words | 5 PagesGrant In A Lesson Before Dying
763 Words | 4 PagesWomen In A Lesson Before Dying
1097 Words | 5 PagesA Lesson Before Dying Themes
2126 Words | 9 PagesComparing Jefferson And Grant's Death Of A Man
301 Words | 2 PagesSimilarities Between Grant Wiggins And Jefferson
134 Words | 1 PagesA Lesson Before Dying Setting Analysis
1620 Words | 7 PagesManhood In A Lesson Before Dying
670 Words | 3 PagesRacial Injustice In Ernest Gaines A Lesson Before Dying
813 Words | 4 PagesA Lesson Before Dying Redemption Analysis
749 Words | 3 PagesNihilism In The Stranger By Albert Camus
768 Words | 4 PagesEssay On Nihilism
1418 Words | 6 Pages