Theme Of Compassion In A Lesson Before Dying

In A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, Grant Wiggins is asked to turn Jefferson, a young man on death row, into an honorable man before his execution. Grant faces many difficulties when Jefferson is unresponsive and refuses to comply with Grant and Aunt Emma’s request. Throughout the story, Grant struggles to find motivation to keep working with Jefferson as he faces the difficulty of racism and prejudice. The author of the novel, Ernest J. Gaines, uses characterization to prove the theme that a lack of compassion in individuals can prevent people from uniting to form a better society, because they do not try to understand one another. In the beginning of the novel, Miss Emma and Tante Lou are threatening Grant into going to visit Mr.

Without compassion, everyone would remain separated and divided which would only keep people from uniting to make the world a better place. Grant’s lack of compassion keeps him from developing a better relationship with Miss Emma as well as keeping him from helping Jefferson. Miss Emma is family to Grant and it would be in his best interest to help her, so his refusal to help Jefferson creates a barrier in their relationship. Later on in the story, Grant speaks to Jefferson in one of their meetings at the courthouse that lead up to Jefferson’s execution. Jefferson has been lost in thought as he has lost any and all motivation to reason with Grant. In an attempt to encourage Jefferson to try and better his relationship with Miss Emma, Grant states, “A hero does for others. He would do anything for people he loves, because he knows it would make their lives better. I am not that kind of person…You could give them something that I never could” (Gaines 191). In this excerpt, Grant tries to motivate Jefferson to be a better person than Grant by helping those he loves and putting their well-being above his