Courage Nelson Mandela once stated that, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it”. In Ernst Gaines’ novel, “A Lesson Before Dying”, the most important lesson to learn before dying is courage. The novel shows this through the characters Tante Lou, Miss. Emma, and Jefferson. First of all, Tante Lou shows courage by being with Miss. Emma, working hard to get Grant through university, and she believes God will help everything. For example, being with Miss. Emma and giving her courage while Jefferson is in prison despite the circumstances. Before Miss. Emma visits Jefferson for the first time she comes out with Tante Lou and obviously they had been together all day just talking, “My aunt did not sleep at the house the night before. Like many of the other older people in the
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Therefore, Tante Lou shows courage by being with Miss. Emma during her troubles, working hard for Grant to go through university, and by believing God will fix everything. Furthermore, Miss. Emma shows courage by standing up to Henri Pichot, fighting for Jefferson, and staying strong for him as well. So, she shows courage by standing up to wealthy white man, Henri Pichot. When Miss. Emma, Tante Lou, and Grant go up to Henri Picot’s house to plead her case she stated, strongly,
‘That’s not what I come up here for, Mr. Henri,’ Miss Emma said to him. ‘I’m not begging for his life no more; that’s over. I just want see him die like a man’. (22)
Miss. Emma shows that she is courageous enough to stand up to a white person for her godson. Likewise, Miss. Emma fought for Jefferson when he could not. When they were at Mr. Henri’s house and after he did not approve of Miss. Emma’s request,
’Mr. Henri?’ Miss Emma called him. But he kept walking. ‘ I’ll be up here again tomorrow, Mr. Henri. I’ll be on my knees next time you see me, Mr. Henri’.
Therefore, Tante Lou shows courage by being with Miss. Emma during her troubles, working hard for Grant to go through university, and by believing God will fix everything. Furthermore, Miss. Emma shows courage by standing up to Henri Pichot, fighting for Jefferson, and staying strong for him as well. So, she shows courage by standing up to wealthy white man, Henri Pichot. When Miss. Emma, Tante Lou, and Grant go up to Henri Picot’s house to plead her case she stated, strongly,
‘That’s not what I come up here for, Mr. Henri,’ Miss Emma said to him. ‘I’m not begging for his life no more; that’s over. I just want see him die like a man’. (22)
Miss. Emma shows that she is courageous enough to stand up to a white person for her godson. Likewise, Miss. Emma fought for Jefferson when he could not. When they were at Mr. Henri’s house and after he did not approve of Miss. Emma’s request,
’Mr. Henri?’ Miss Emma called him. But he kept walking. ‘ I’ll be up here again tomorrow, Mr. Henri. I’ll be on my knees next time you see me, Mr. Henri’.