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Prejudice In A Lesson Before Dying

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In 1993 Ernest J. Gaines published the novel named “A Lesson Before Dying.” This novel tells the tale of a young African American man named Jefferson who is mistakenly found guilty of murder and given the death penalty. Racism and discrimination are prevalent in the little town where the narrative is set in 1940s Louisiana. The story observes Jefferson’s development as he accepts his situation and learns to give his life purpose. The African American community in Ernest Gaines' novel A Lesson Before Dying finds strength and dignity in their fight for justice and the pursuit of self-worth despite experiencing prejudice and injustice. The novel opens with a young African American man named Jefferson being wrongfully found guilty of killing a white business owner and given the death penalty. His defense attorney compares him to a hog and claims that the man is too intellectually disabled to have committed the crime. Miss Emma, Jefferson's godmother, is horrified by the decision and asks Grant Wiggins, a nearby teacher, to help teach Jefferson how to mature before …show more content…

Jefferson does not see himself as a human, he sees himself as a hog. As time passes by and Jefferson’s execution date is coming to a close, Miss Emma is becoming very sick and is unable to visit Jefferson near the end of the novel. Though at the beginning of the novel Grant Wiggins was hesitant to help Jefferson, as the novel continues the reader can see the strong connection that Jefferson and Grant are developing. An example of their bond getting stronger is when Grant overhears two African American men having a conversation about Jefferson. The two men believe that Jefferson should have been killed a while ago. Grant then walked up to the two men to defend Jefferson but seconds later a fight breaks out in which Grant ends up getting knocked out by Joe Claiborne, the

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