In the novel, a lesson before dying, by Ernest J. Gaines characters are exposed to racism, religion and thoughts on education that affect the entire community of the book. The main plot point being racism since our story revolves around a Cajun community in the late 1940’s. The story is about a man named Jefferson who is convicted of murder and sentenced to death. The story is told in the perspective of Grant, who is told to turn Jefferson into a man before he passes away. Grant, although being resilient at first, decides that helping Jefferson may have a positive effect on the community.
A Lesson before Dying is set in a racist society in 1940s Louisiana. The Cajun community mostly works at plantations, like their ancestors. The legal system …show more content…
Grant Wiggins, the narrator of the novel, is the one assigned to “teach” Jefferson to become a man. What educations means when talking about teaching Jefferson, differs greatly from how we think about education today. Instead of the paper work that we know today, the book strafes away from that by teaching morals and skills since there is no brighter future for Jefferson. When Grant final agrees to working with Jefferson he does not bring paper and pencil he instead decides to spend his time helping Jefferson think of something bigger than himself. “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, but I want you to be. You could give something to her, to me, to those children in the quarter. You could give something I never could” This greater thinking starts with his grandmother Miss. Anna and ends with the community he grew up in. The narrators view on Education in the novel differs as you move toward the end of the story. In the begging the novel makes education seem unimportant and unlikely to greater your chances at a better future. This feeling comes from the lack of opportunities our Cajun community has been offered, even with a degree and better education. Toward the end of the novel the look on education slightly differs as the narrator, Grant, begins to gain hope for the newer generations of colored people in America. Grant sees Jefferson as a type of Christ figure wanting people to see him as a symbol of moral purity and
A Lesson before Dying is set in a racist society in 1940s Louisiana. The Cajun community mostly works at plantations, like their ancestors. The legal system …show more content…
Grant Wiggins, the narrator of the novel, is the one assigned to “teach” Jefferson to become a man. What educations means when talking about teaching Jefferson, differs greatly from how we think about education today. Instead of the paper work that we know today, the book strafes away from that by teaching morals and skills since there is no brighter future for Jefferson. When Grant final agrees to working with Jefferson he does not bring paper and pencil he instead decides to spend his time helping Jefferson think of something bigger than himself. “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, but I want you to be. You could give something to her, to me, to those children in the quarter. You could give something I never could” This greater thinking starts with his grandmother Miss. Anna and ends with the community he grew up in. The narrators view on Education in the novel differs as you move toward the end of the story. In the begging the novel makes education seem unimportant and unlikely to greater your chances at a better future. This feeling comes from the lack of opportunities our Cajun community has been offered, even with a degree and better education. Toward the end of the novel the look on education slightly differs as the narrator, Grant, begins to gain hope for the newer generations of colored people in America. Grant sees Jefferson as a type of Christ figure wanting people to see him as a symbol of moral purity and