Analysis Of The Hero In Ernest J. Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying

Everyone has their own version of a hero. Nonetheless, each hero has courage and shows bravery even in the toughest of times. They are able to go against what society considers the norm. In Ernest J. Gaines’ book, A Lesson Before Dying, the hero is a young African American boy named Jefferson, who was caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. He is accused of a crime he did not commit and sentenced to death. However, during the trial, his attorney calls him a hog who does not know any better and could not possibly commit a crime. This deeply affects him and his godmother, so she goes to Grant, who is a local teacher, and asks that he make sure that Jefferson dies knowing he is a man and not some hog. Although reluctant at first, Grant’s

goal is to make sure that Jefferson does not crawl to his oppressors and that he walks up to them and that electric chair like a man. Through this conflict, Gaines teaches us about heroism, racism and prejudice, and power.
This novel takes place in the 1940s, therefore racism and prejudice are still very evident in the south.

Gaines shows this through Jefferson’s trial. When Jefferson’s attorney is attempting to defend him, he states, “What justice would there be to take this life? Justice, gentlemen? Why I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this” (pg.10). This implies that, during this time period, white people did not view black people as human beings or capable of intelligence. Despite this attempt to help set Jefferson free, the jury still saw him as guilty because of his skin color. Even the town’s sheriff and another white man objectify Jefferson by making a bet about whether or not Grant will be able to “make him a man” before it is time for him to be put in the electric chair. Through these incidents, Grant displays how racism and prejudice can ruin another’s life and how they view

themselves.
Even though slavery had been abolished, white people were still deemed as superior to other races.

Even after black people were supposedly free, they were still somewhat oppressed and expected to fail in society. Gaines shows this in his novel, also through Jefferson’s trial. In his trial, the whole jury, the attorneys, and the judge were all white males, proving that they were the only ones with higher and important positions in society, during this time. This easily made it unfair for Jefferson and other people of color. Since most black people also viewed white people as superior to them, when the attorney had called Jefferson a hog, it deeply affected him. Because of who the words were coming from, the power it had on him was great and it led him to actually believing it. In one instance, Grant is talking to the sheriff about getting permission to visit Jefferson in jail. During the conversation, he thinks to himself, “I used the word ‘doesn’t’ again, but I did it intentionally this time. If he had said I was being too smart and he didn’t want me to come to that jail, my mind would definitely have been relieved” (pg. 39). This further shows how much power white people had, how they used it to their advantage, and how they expected black people to be inferior to them. Through this conflict, Gaines illustrates how someone’s role in society and the power that they have can affect how they treat

others.
The most essential life lesson Gaines teaches through the main conflict is about heroism. Throughout the novel, we learn about all the internal conflicts that Grant has such as faithfulness and wanting to leave his hometown. In the beginning of the story, he only agrees to visit Jefferson in jail for the sake of Jefferson’s godmother, his aunt, and his girlfriend. However, towards the end he begins to truly want to help Jefferson realize he is a man for the sake of himself and the others in the community. By helping Jefferson realize this and stand up to his
oppressors with courage, when it comes time for him to sit in the electric chair, he is able to make the change that Grant and others always wanted to do but could not. Jefferson defied the expectations that everyone had of him and showed courage and bravery. They expected him to crawl up to the chair like the hog they said he was and let the white people continue to control how he viewed himself. In the end, after the execution, a deputy named Paul told Grant that, “he was the strongest man in that crowded room” (pg. 202). Gaines shows that even the smallest changes can make a huge impact anywhere.
Through the main conflict, in this novel, Gaines was able to show us how racism and prejudice, power, and the smallest acts of heroism can affect others in life. The racism and power that white people had is what ended up putting Jefferson in jail, but with the help of Grant, he was able to be a hero. Because even though he could not live to make a change, he died making a difference in other’s lives.