Segregation In A Lesson Before Dying

Ernest J. Gaines is the author of the novel “A Lesson Before Dying.” The story highlights the tension in the lives of African-Americans during the 1940s. It demonstrates a world of racial segregation. The novel mainly talks about two men. One man's struggle to accept his unjust death with dignity. Another man struggles with his own identity and responsibility to his community. A Lesson Before Dying reveals the process of an oppressed black people's attempt to gain recognition of their human dignity, their human rights, and freedom to pursue their dreams. These raise many questions. Why segregation exists? Why it takes so much time and efforts for black people to break down racial segregation? Law is one of the main reasons that lead to segregation. The story begins when Jefferson is on trial. The prosecutor sues Jefferson of a murder. Jefferson claims he is innocent. He says he was on his way to a bar, but two men offered him a ride. They were on their way to a liquor store. When the two men arrived at the store, they argued with the storeowner, and a gunfight broke out. The storeowner and the two men died. Jefferson remained at …show more content…
Jefferson was in the scene of a murder. When he went to trial, Jerfferson, Emma, Tante Lou, and Grant already knew the outcome. “It was my aunt who followed his every move, not his godmother. She knew, as we all knew, what the outcome would be” (A Lesson before Dying page.4). A white man died during the crime. To convict a person of a crime the evidence must be beyond reasonable doubt. The fact that Jefferson was at the scene, drank a wine, and took some money did mean Jefferson is a murder. There is no evidence or witness that can testify Jefferson is a murder. Even if there is not enough evidence to convict Jefferson of murder, the juries still found him guilty. The entire juried are white and not even the judge, the prosecutor, or Jefferson’s attorney is