Dignity is not found in a person’s position, but in the way their actions reflect upon them. The novel
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines depicts a young man convicted of a crime he did not commit. In a vain attempt to defend Jefferson, his attorney callously referred to him as a ‘hog’ and a ‘brainless animal’, which had an effect on Jefferson that the novel goes on to describe. But the judge and jury declared Jefferson guilty and sentenced him to death by electric chair. Knowing that nothing more could be done to save his life, Jefferson’s mother recruits a school teacher in hopes of returning Jefferson’s dignity to him before his death. Whether this plan succeeds or not is up to Jefferson himself. Throughout the book, Jefferson’s character
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evolves dramatically. As his hours grow numbered, he grows stronger and more dignified, proving to his mother and to everyone else that he is as much a human being as anyone born to a higher status. Additionally, Grant Wiggins was not only the teacher but the one being taught as Jefferson’s situation transformed him into a more humble man. Both men sacrifice a great deal as the story unravels, and both experience a transformation that can only be described as a miracle. While reading this novel, the reader can easily see the journey that each character embarks on, and the drastic difference that is evident in their traits when the book ends. One of the most prominent character developments is seen in the character Grant Wiggins. The reader meets Wiggins at the beginning of the book, and while he isn’t a villain, he isn’t a saint either. His selfish nature and stubbornness prevents him from doing much for the benefit of others and causes him to be widely reluctant to the prospect of visiting Jefferson in prison. An example of this can be found in chapter 6, as Wiggins is asking for permission to visit Jefferson in prison. “She asked me to go to him, sir. Her idea. Not mine,” I said… “You think that’s a good idea?” Guidry said… “I would rather not have anything to do with it, sir. But that’s what she wants.” (Page 49). In this passage, Wiggin’s apprehension towards going to visit Jefferson is obvious, which leads the reader to believe that he is selfish in nature. However, through teaching Jefferson, he himself learns a lesson and his attitude takes a turn for the better. “Tell- tell the chirren thank you for the pe-pecans,” he stammered. I caught myself grinning like a fool. I wanted to throw my arms around him and hug him. I wanted to hug the first person I came to. I felt like someone who had just found religion. I felt like crying with joy.” This passage, found on page 189, marks a momentous change in Grant Wiggins because previously the reader has not seen him experience joy like this because he has been so unhappy with his position. The fact that he experienced such joy in being able to teach Jefferson where he has been so unhappy with his job as a school teacher for such a long time proves that he has grown to appreciate helping others. While Grant Wiggins experienced a significant change, he is greatly surpassed by Jefferson in terms of largest improvement.
When Jefferson and Wiggins are first left alone in the cell, Jefferson referred to himself as an animal, and purposely acted in a very undignified manner. “I’m an old hog,” he said. “Youmans don’t stay in no stall like this. I’m an old hog they fattening up to kill.” (Page 83). Following this statement, Jefferson got down on all fours and ate the food brought to him “how an old hog eats”. This behavior is a tool that Jefferson is using to cause others to feel guilty for where he is. He is in a lot of emotional pain and torment and is targeting the wrong audience, blaming others for his situation. It is not until page 171 that Jefferson begins to act as a normal human and have normal conversations, and until page 225 when he finally seemed as a man, and not an animal. “I raised my head, and I saw him standing there under the window, big and tall, and not stooped as he had been in chains. “I’m go’n do my best, Mr. Wiggins. That’s all I can promise. My best.” “You’re more a man than I am, Jefferson.” (Pg. 225) This passage, taking place merely days before, proves that the closer he became to his death the more of a man he became. As the character of Jefferson develops, he begins to see the way that his actions can affect people, and how he can alter the way he acts in order to make the best out of his
situation. A lesson before dying Is full of different forms of symbolism, but one of the most prominent of these is the comparison of Jefferson to the religious figure Jesus Christ. While their characters are not identical, there are many similarities that cause the reader to believe that the author intended Jefferson to be seen as a Jesus figure. An example of this can be found on page 191 as Wiggins talks to Jefferson about heroism. “Do you know what a hero is, Jefferson? A hero is someone who does something for other people. He does something that other men don’t and can’t do. He is different from other men. He is above other men. No matter who those men are…” (Page 191) Wiggins is not a religious man himself so it is very interesting that he be the one to describe this heroic figure that is above all men and sacrifices himself for the good of others. In this passage, Wiggins is imploring Jefferson to act as a hero for his mother’s sake, and telling him that doing things solely for the purpose of helping another is the way Jefferson can prove to everyone that he is a man. Another parallel to biblical scripture found in the novel is actually found in Paul, the white law officer. Names in novels generally have very specific intent, whether they are meant to inspire certain feelings, or in the case of Paul, as a form of allusion. In the Hebrew Bible, Paul bears witness to the miracles and acts done by Jesus and spreads the word to others. In “A lesson before dying” Paul has the same role. On page 245, a conversation between Jefferson and Paul shows the allusion to the Bible. “Paul?” Jefferson said quietly. And his eyes were speaking, even more than his mouth. “You go’n be there, Paul?” Jefferson asked, his eyes asked. Paul nodded “Yes, Jefferson. I’ll be there.” In addition to Paul bearing witness, he was the one to deliver Jefferson’s journal, his legacy, to Wiggins following Jefferson’s execution. Taking all of this evidence into account, we can gather that Jefferson symbolizes Jesus, and Paul represents a disciple so as to further strengthen the allusion. In the novel “A Lesson Before Dying” The death of Jefferson is very symbolic and changes the lives of many people. The reader can see how Grant Wiggins transforms into a more humble and caring person as a result of living a part of his life with Jefferson in that cramped cell. And because of Grant, Jefferson was able to prove to everyone that he was a dignified man, and was not the brainless hog that they had labeled him to be. Dignity in the book is described as acting with pride, gratitude, and purpose, and Jefferson’s death was of such acts. The clear symbolism between Jefferson and the religious figure Jesus Christ is evident in the book up to Jefferson’s final breaths as he walked, proudly and purposefully to the chair that ended his life. If there’s anything that Jefferson taught us in “A lesson before dying”, it was that no one can tell you your position, or force you into a box without your consent. You are given the ability to lead a life according to your own values and you are entitled to walk with dignity and to take pride in your own person.
For Jefferson, racial injustice is present in court. Because of the color of his skin, Jefferson was automatically found guilty by those 12 men. “12 white men say a black man must die, and another white man sets the date and time without consulting one black person, Justice?” (157) The jury that decided his sentence was made up of 12 white men. Jefferson’s trial was unfair because the verdict was made by all white men. Jefferson was really just at the wrong place at the wrong time, but the biased jury saw him as guilty before finding any real evidence. This scene from court is an example of how Jefferson is treated unfairly because of the way he is viewed by others.
In the beginning of the book when Grant and Jefferson are talking at the jail, Jefferson says““I’m a old hog,” he said. “Youmans don’t stay in no stall like this. I’m a old hog they fattening up to kill.””(Gaines 83). Jefferson has no dignity whatsoever and clings to the belief that he is a worthless hog. However, by the end of t...
In this book, Ernest J. Gaines presents three views to determine manhood: law, education and religion. Jefferson has been convicted of a crime, and though he did not commit it, he is sentenced to death as a "hog" a word that denies any sense of worth or fragment of dignity he may have possessed in a world ruled by oppressive white bigots. Jefferson is at an even greater loss as he has no education and after the conviction he doubts that God can even exist in a world that would send an innocent man to his death. It is clear that Jefferson does not believe he has any value. " ‘I’m an old hog. Just an old hog they fattening up to kill for Christmas’ " (83).
The emotional language reaches a crescendo in the final paragraphs listing the King's actions. He showed "Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages," and he was "totally unworthy [of being] the Head of a civilized nation." And he also uses pathos when he assures the world of their honest efforts to avoid independence, and explains that they have been given no choice because “A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.” In conclusion, Jefferson uses Pathos to distinctly prove the outrages of the King and
It was a little bit harder for Jefferson to remember his commitment to his nannan and to the town. He had been charged with a crime he did not commit and didn’t know how to deal with it. They were asking a lot from a man who knew he was going to die soon."Me, Mr. Wiggins. Me. Me to take the cross. Your cross, nannan's cross, my own cross. Me, Mr. Wiggins. This old stumbling nigger. Y'all axe a lot, Mr. Wiggins." [p. 224] It takes a strong man to forget about yourself and do something for someone else when your in the position that Jefferson is in. It took a while; but Jefferson did what had to be done, in the end.
The novel A Lesson Before Dying is about a young, college-educated man and a convict, Grant Wiggins and Jefferson. Grant is asked to make a man out of Jefferson who is convicted of killing a white man during a robbery in which he got dragged along to. Grant is asked by Emma Lou to make a man out of Jefferson, so if anything, Jefferson can die with dignity. Something that he was striped of when he was tried and his attorney used the defence that he is a hog. While trying to get through to Jefferson, Grant struggles because he is so far and separated from his own community. He holds resentment toward the white man and wants to get away from his town which he thinks is an on-going vicious cycle of misery. The novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines depicts the social and racial injustices faced by African Americans in the South in the late 40...
Vancil narrates that Wiggins is “immersed in his own concerns and relates to his community from a perspective of superiority, a superiority as much bestowed as felt.”(489) Grant does not conduct his reasoning and underlying mentality as a higher status than all of the other community members in every illicit situation. It is not wrong to possess pride and matured culture for being a recipient of a fine education for a young Black man residing in Louisiana. He simply wants more than what a contained, prejudice society can offer him or his counterparts. His beliefs are further justified when Jefferson is convicted and sentenced to death for a murder not capable by an innocent man. Grant boasts out that Jefferson was educated in the community’s school system but the power of the finer ...
Margaret is an intelligent, articulate, and ambitious woman who desires to rise up in social status by marrying a man of higher social rank. She attends to those above her, in hopes of elevating her status as she becomes closer to the upper-class. As a minor character, she plays a small yet crucial role in advancing Don John’s plot to slander Hero and spoil her wedding. As a lower-class character, Margaret serves as a foil to the rich girls, particularly Hero, who embodies every attitude and mindset Margaret does not. But she also offers an alternative perspective on the upper-class characters in the play. Because Margaret is victimized because of her social ambitions, punished for wanting to rise above her ...
In society today, sacrifice is typically associated with a negative connotation, usually dealing with martyrdom. On the contrary, how a person sacrifices in their life is what defines them and reveals their true character. Throughout A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest Gaines, Grant is compelled to make sacrifices in his personal life and career in order to show Jefferson that he is a human, just like everyone else. Grant had to make sacrifices in time, his pride, and his own emotions so that he could help Jefferson leave this earth with dignity. These sacrifices show that the purpose of the book is to show readers that people do the most good when they have to make sacrifices in their own lives.
Jefferson used two main strategies in convincing his audience. First, as I have already mentioned, he uses factual evidence to support his claim. The list of cruel acts is his factual evidence. The amount of details that make up this list shows how much importance Jefferson placed on factual evidence as support. If he had used fewer facts here, the document might not have fully explained why the Americans demanded independence. Second, Jefferson exercised appeal to values in supporting his argument. He wanted others to feel the pain and suffering that has haunted the Americans and share similar morals. In paragraph five he says, "Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies" (17). Here he tries to evoke the sense of feeling. He assumes the reader will feel this pain and agree that King George III is wrong for his actions. He then goes on to say, "The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of injuries and unsurpations, all having in direct object the exact establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States" (17).
Imagine trying to live a fulfilling life knowing the exact day and time your life would end. In the novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, Jefferson is sentenced to death, and is supposed to learn how to die a man from Grant Wiggins. However the roles seem to reverse throughout the story as Grant becomes more of a man himself. Through the use of symbolism, character development, and an intricate plot, Gaines shows how the justice system affected blacks in the South.
A Lesson Before Dying has a superb depiction of the theme “you can’t judge a book by its cover”. Grant went to help Jefferson with a notion that Jefferson was sewer trash and he would not learn anything from this situation. In the end Grant was wrong because he learned a lot from his short relationship with Jefferson. Grant had certain feelings for Jefferson he never had for a man before. They became real close friends and talked about a lot of things. I really like how they portrayed this theme throughout the book.
The novel “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte, and the novella “The Turn of the Screw” by Henry James, both display the treatment of pride for upper and lower class similarly. Furthermore, the treatment of pride will be compared and contrasted in this essay to examine and understand how pride is treated. In novel and novella both the lower class characters believe their pride makes them superior beings. Although the pride of lower and upper-class characters led them to their corruption. Moreover, the upper-class characters in each narrative maintain their respectability by their pride. However, in “Jane Eyre” all casts must have their emotions controlled by their pride, or this will lead to inappropriate behavior. Nevertheless, in “The Turn of
Aristotle would have never even have thought of the troubles plaguing Jefferson, and it seems his ultimate trouble lay at the unfortunate time of his birth. Far enough into Enlightenment to know slavery was wrong, but not far enough along to see the actuation of his dreams, Jefferson was caught. Aristotle would have probably had pity on the man, but he would have thought him incapable of Happiness nonetheless. Jefferson was caught between too many worlds to find the mean effectively, bound by too many traditions and expectations to live as he wished. Jefferson is condemned by an Aristotelian view, but is saved by his position in American history; which might, strangely, be a sort of vindication in Aristotle's eyes.
If human dignity is an intrinsic value that every human being possesses simply because they are human, how do we know dignity? It is with this question of knowing that the element epistemology deals with human dignity. One way to answer this question is to combine between dignity and personhood in the absence of degradation. This combination sets out this formula; the only way that dignity is manifested itself in the reality is through the certain behaviors and actions by a person or toward a person, therefore we know dignity through the personhood. The personhood should be understood here minimally as an individuated human being, but it is also the individual, who has possessed legal status to entitle by rights and address by obligations. In the meantime, the certain behaviors and actions acknowledge the dignity of person in two conditions. First, we know and see dignity by allowing or observing a person to plan her life and future freely as someone with the capacity of action and communication. Accordingly, we should notice that dignity intersects with the principles of autonomy and agency, which assert the inviolability of the free will. The reason for this is that the concept of dignity and autonomy are closely related. The second condition that we know and observe dignity in the term that the body and the mind of person is an absence from all kinds of humiliation, insult and degradation.