A Lesson Before Dying Compare And Contrast Essay

Caroline Townes

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Compare and Contrast essay for A Lesson Before Dying

The novel A Lesson Before Dying took place in the late 1940s when racism was more present. Jefferson, a young black man was present at the scene of a crime. He was then, convicted of murder, sentenced to death. Jefferson was put in jail because he was black and did not have rights. Grant Wiggins, an educated school teacher was then asked by Jefferson's Nannan to visit jefferson often in jail to teach Jefferson that he does have dignity and that he is a man. In the novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines Jefferson and Grant, two major characters face few internal and external conflicts and deal with them in both similar and different ways.

The two characters, Grant and Jefferson face two different conflicts but deal with them in a similar way, for example in order for Grant to make Jefferson stand as a man Grant must face his own internal problems as well. Grants internal problems make him emotional, and oppressed in the south because of his race.

Jefferson's conflict is he is in jail believing that he does not have any dignity. Grant makes jefferson realize that he is a man, not a hog and that he has dignity. The two characters dealt with these internal conflicts similarly by their survival depends on each others mutual support. Both men must support each other so no man is standing alone. The two men eventually become heroes to each other and, Grant changing throughout his visits to jefferson made him become a man jefferson could trust.
Jefferson and Grant also face two different conflicts where they dealt with them differently.

Grants problem is that unlike jefferson who is in jail, Grant had few opportunities to leave Bayonne and change his life which he was unhappy with. Instead, he stayed to be a school teacher, more so because living as a black in the racist state of Louisiana where he has little control over his life. Jefferson's problem is that he has hatred shown to him by white racists. At the court trial he was referred to as a hog, and not worthy of dignity. The two dealt with their external conflicts differently, Grant deals with his conflict by taking out his pain and frustration on his students. for example, he has hit his students with a ruler when he was angry. Jefferson dealt with his conflict by thinking he should die a hog with no rights because that is how he has been treated, Jefferson does not think he matters to

anyone.
Throughout the novel A Lesson Before Dying Grant and Jefferson faced many conflicts which they dealt with both similarly and differently. By the end of the story, Grant and jefferson both came to settlement with their lives and Jefferson finally learns that he is not a hog and he is a man with dignity. Grant and jefferson both realize along the way that they helped each become better people. Jefferson then dies standing as a man thanks to the help of Grant Wiggins.