A Change In A Lesson Before Dying

People go through major modifications in their everyday life in order to become the person they want to be. However, these changes cannot be made without the help of others. The desire for an alteration, is due to events that end up having drastic results. Ernest Gaines, in A Lesson Before Dying, creates a dynamic change in both Grant and Jefferson to show their journey through the novel. A change in attitude is normally the result for a myriad of reasons. Some of the reasons being the company that surrounds the person and a certain occasion that caused them to look at their self differently. Without the aid of Vivian and the constant visits to Jefferson, Grant would not be the person he turned out to be in the end of the novel. Beginning the story, Grant is a pessimistic, selfish man. He is looking for any excuse to leave Bayonne because he does not “feel alive…teaching school in a plantation church” (Gaines 29). This small, southern town has trapped him, encasing him in his depressing thoughts. Trapped, he feels unable to do what he was made for. The last thing Grant wants is something, or in this case, someone, to keep him tied back in Bayonne. He is being forced and pressured into helping Jefferson so Grant continuously makes the argument; “There’s nothing I can do anymore, nothing any of us can do anymore”(14). Not only has he given up hope in himself, but he has given up hope on Jefferson’s dignity as a man. His negativity has bled into all aspects of his life, giving off an attitude no one is happy to listen to. Despite his selfish and …show more content…
Everyday something new occurs. Everyday people’s bodies experience new transactions. It can impact the lives of many, however, not always having a beneficial effect. The way a person handles change has the ability to determine how they grasp difficult situations. Change is inevitable, it is