African American or Inhuman?

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Recommended: Racism and literature

In A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest J Gaines, the author, sets his story during the 1940s in a Cajun community. Jefferson, a young African-American man, is an innocent witness to a liquor store shoot-out where three men are murdered, but he is the one and only survivor, and therefore, he is sentenced to prison and death. As a young boy, Gaines grew up on a plantation in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, which represents the Bayonne in his fictional writings. Having experienced the lifestyle of slavery, Gaines portrays the hardships and difficulties of living an African-American life. Although the main theme in A Lesson Before Dying rests on the lingering power of racism in the South, an examination of the subtle details and interpretations throughout the novel examines the complications faced by the African Americans. Racism becomes more palatable when white individuals dehumanize African-Americans. When Jefferson is sentenced to court for supposedly murdering a gang of three men, Gaines uses a combination of similes to develop the association between impeccable black humans and animals. Although Jefferson’s attorney creates many logical ideas to explain that Jefferson did not murder Alcee Grope, he also points out that Jefferson is a boy and fool, thus he is lacking the ability to plan the murder. Jefferson’s attorney supports him not by evidence, but by saying, “He has reached the age of twenty-one, when we, civilized men, consider the male species has reached manhood, but would you call this-this-this a man? No, not. I would call it a boy and a fool. A fool is not aware of right and wrong” (Gaines, 7). By stating that Jefferson is a boy, Gaines indicates how racism is spread through daily interactions. The defense states that he i... ... middle of paper ... ...ying they are a “good croup”; rather than thinking of them as people, he thinks of them as things. Through such bolds words, the power of racism is expressed. Although the minutiae may be irrelevant in some stories, Gaines uses subtle points to demonstrate the importance of racism in the past and present world. The lingering power of racism that existed in the past still exists today. Gaines tries to pursue a message throughout the novel through Jefferson’s death. Jefferson’s execution will be a life-long remembered event that will have a great influence on many individuals of that society. Dying with dignity, Jefferson demonstrates to the white people that he is a distinguished human. The lives of African- Americans should be viewed equally the same as the lives of Whites. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 2004. Print.

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