The society a person grows up in and the actions of that society mold the destiny of a person. Ernest J. Gaines, the author of A Lesson Before Dying is a prime example of this perception. Gaines uses two of the preeminent characters in his book to display this idea, Grant Wiggins and Jefferson. Jefferson is convicted of murder and sentenced to death, albeit he was innocent and was just at the crime scene at the wrong time. A majority of the other characters visit Jefferson while he’s in jail, with one of those characters being Grant Wiggins. Grant is an disciplinarian who is additionally going through a predicament of his own. That predicament is his futile attempts to leave Bayonne, due to Grant’s girlfriend having to remain in Bayonne in …show more content…
Grant never wanted to stay in Bayonne, but elements outside of his control kept him there. The main one being Grant’s girlfriend didn’t want to leave until she had a divorce and her kids were protected. Grant realized that he needs support outside Bayonne, and he can’t leave without her, thus leaving him stuck in Bayonne. Pages 29 and 30 support this by stating “ ‘I’m still married,’ Vivian said. ‘A separation is not a divorce. I can’t go anywhere until all this is over with.’ … ‘I want to go now, and I want you to go with me.’ … ‘After the divorce I’ll do whatever you want me to do…’” (Gaines 29-30) Without Vivian in Grant’s life, he would be somewhere far away from Bayonne, but thanks to Vivian, Grant is forced to stick around. The differences between Bayonne and anywhere else are crazy, from the opportunities to the treatment of people. It can also be compared to the world today, such as the differences between Buffalo, NY and Switzerland. There are so many different things to do and achieve based on where you are in the world. Grant can’t experience these new things due to the fact that he can’t leave Bayonne, so he is therefore having his destiny controlled by uncontrollable …show more content…
Jefferson was only standing in a store, and the next hour he was in custody and was being sentenced to death for murder. Jefferson didn’t do anything wrong, he couldn’t have prevented the 3 people from dying in the store. However, Bayonne’s community views Jefferson as a African American male who was at the scene of a 3 person murder. Jefferson couldn’t control how the other people would react to him being at the crime scene. Page 5 takes this more into depth by stating, “Grope moved quickly toward the cash register, where he withdrew a revolver and started shooting. Soon there was shooting from another direction. When it was quiet again, Bear, Grope, and Brother were all down on the floor, and only Jefferson was standing.” (Gaines 5) Jefferson had nothing to do with, nor could do anything to prevent this from happening. It didn’t matter because Jefferson was still arrested. Jefferson couldn’t control the fact that this happened, but his destiny was controlled by the uncontrollable forces around
Jefferson didn 't do anything, but he was going to steal money from the cash register. Jefferson was there but at the wrong time. The police thought that it was Jefferson because he was black. Jefferson should of stand up for himself or told the judge that it wasn 't him. This book is told in the 1940’s so it makes sense that Jefferson didn 't have a say in what happened.
In the town of Bayonne, Louisiana, Grant Wiggins, goes to the trial of Jefferson, a 21-year-old man who has been accused of the homicide of a white seller. Jefferson demands that
In the book, “A lesson before dying”, by Ernest J. Gaines tells a story that is set during late 1940’s. The story is focused on the interaction between Jefferson, a young and barley literate African American man, who is sentenced to death for an unjust crime, and Grant Wiggins, a teacher that wants to help Jefferson, but doesn’t know how. The story is told through the eyes of Wiggins. The main focus in this book was Grant and Jefferson’s relationship to transform each man throughout the story and teach each a lesson about human dignity. The most important character is Jefferson’s defense attorney, he was the reason that let Jefferson lose his dignity and self respect.
In the novel A Lesson Before Dying, Jefferson is convicted of a murder he did not commit simply for being the wrong colour, in the wrong place, at the wrong
Ricardo Omar Eng 088-007 Professor MacGregor 11/28/14 A Lesson Before Dying The Novel A Lesson before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines takes place in the late 1940s on a former plantation in Louisiana. The main characters are Grant Wiggins and Jefferson, along with supporting characters Tante Lou, Paul, Miss Emma and Reverend Ambrose. The novel starts off with Grant telling what happened on the day Jefferson got accused of murder.
Jefferson had control over letting people help him, getting into trouble leading him into a jail cell, and if he wanted to die a hog or a man. Jefferson had people who care about him and want to help him realize that he’s not some hog but a man. He doesn’t show them that he cares what they want, or that he cares that they are these for him. Jefferson just wants to get it over with and send to the chair. His aunt Miss Emma tries to get to him “You want me to go, and you just talk to Professor Wiggins?”
A Lesson Before Dying A Lesson Before Dying is a novel based on the real life event of the Willie Francis execution. Grant Wiggins was teaching on a plantation outside of Bayonne, Louisiana, for several years. A man named Jefferson was convicted of murder and was sentenced to death. Jefferson claims he was not guilty of the crime.
Wayne W. Dyer once said, “judgments prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances,” and this is evidenced in Ernest J. Gaines’ novel, A Lesson Before Dying. Jefferson and Grant Wiggins are both black men living in a racial and prejudice society. Jefferson is a falsely accused, uneducated man about to be put to his death. Grant has a chance to initiate hope for Jefferson. During the early twentieth century, even after the African Americans gained their freedom, the white population felt superior to the black population, and no one in the black community had the power to go against this wrongful thinking.
Throughout history, there have been several discriminatory actions and abuse targeted to a particular race that destroyed their progression towards equality. Renowned author Ernest J. Gaines depicts this unfair harassment through his work of literature “A Lesson Before Dying,” to which he exposed the racial injustices to his audience. The audience was introduced to a man by the name of Grant Wiggins, who was given the task of turning Jefferson into a man after he was said to be a hog. Jefferson, whom at the time was on death row, waited for his punishment for a crime he did not commit. Throughout the story, Grant was rather stubborn in teaching Jefferson this overarching concept.
In Ernest Gaines’ novel A Lesson Before Dying he uses third person point of views to tackle the issues of racial injustice in the South during the 1940’s. The character Grant Wiggin’s understands that justice was claimed and could not change because of this he successful change Jefferson into a man. About justice showing the audience the significance of the novel as a whole, this novel teaches the reader that in order to make a change in the world they must change themselves or help one another, just like Grant did with Jefferson. In this novel, Grant claims that he doesn’t care for justice because he knows that it wasn’t going to get severed.
When the police essentially got there they actually saw Jefferson so they took him to jail asap in a pretty major way. He essentially was questioned the asked him why did he for all intents and purposes
“Words—so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them” (Pr daily). In the novel A Lesson Before Dying the author Ernest J. Gaines portrays the damage that words can do to a person, as well as the redemption they can bring upon someone. In the novel, a young man named Jefferson is convicted of murder and sentenced to death. His defense lawyer claims that he is nothing more than a hog, which negatively impacts his self-esteem. His aunt, Miss Emma, sends a teacher, Grant Wiggins, to encourage him before his death.
The historical fiction novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, features a falsely accused black man on death row in a small Cajun community during the late 1440s. Grant Wiggins, a college educated teacher of the black community, visits Jefferson in prison, an African American convicted of murder. During his trial, he was given a death sentence while referred as a hog. With the love of his godmother, Miss Emma, who sends Grant to teach him in proving himself a man, Jefferson receives the opportunity of representing his community as he dies. Tante Lou, a close friend of Miss Emma and Grant’s aunt, provides the assurance that Grant would prove Jefferson worthy a human.
This is shown throughout the novel by showing that in the beginning of the novel, Grant wants nothing to do with Jefferson and his situation. As the book continues, he realizes that Jefferson is a human too and that he needs to realize how good he has it compared to some people. In the beginning of A Lesson Before Dying, Grant Wiggins struggles with accepting his responsibilities. This is shown in multiple examples. The two examples used in this paper were when Grant avoids all of his responsibilities and does not want anything to do with Jefferson.
In Ernest Gaines’ novel, A Lesson Before Dying, the author uses a third person point of view to assess the issue of racial injustice in the South during the 1940’s. Grant understands that justice is evaluated unfairly and knows that it does not favor the poor and uneducated black man. Due to Grant’s ability to be able to understand others, he successfully learns how to bring justice, while assisting Jefferson. This presents the audience the significance of the novel as a whole, embracing responsibility and facing injustice. Grant feels as if he shouldn’t feel obligated or pressured to help bring justice to Jefferson.