Similarities Between Lesson Before Dying And To Kill A Mockingbird

Nothing in life is just given, one has to try and earn it. In Harper Lee 's To Kill a Mockingbird and in Ernest J. Gaines ' novel Lesson Before Dying both take place in the American Deep South but in different time periods. In both stories there is racism, lies, gender differences, and fights. The rights of the black and white were significant and so were the people who spoke their own words even when society did not approve. The blacks being treated poorly, always the second choice, isolated from the white and put down. Whites with the upper hand, more power and stable jobs. These were the times of the Great Depression. Trust is shown between blacks and whites. Trust is not given it is earned in both To Kill a Mockingbird and Lesson Before …show more content…
Atticus gained Tom 's trust through his actions when he stayed outside of the jail cell to protect him from the Cunningham. The Cunningham 's had come to hurt Tom while sleeping but Atticus stayed outside of his jail cell until they left, "they 've gone, get some sleep Tom. They won 't bother you anymore." Atticus assuring Toms safety while he was in the jail cell really builds the trust between the two since Atticus stepped out and helped him personally. On the other hand Grant 's action of brining Jefferson while he is in prison, is Grant 's personal small way of showing Jefferson he cares and trusts him. "I brought you some food" this may be a small gesture but is a big step to take in Grants place. This also shows Jefferson that Grant actually cares for his well being. Actions can be very personal to others and trust is gained through them. Atticus brining news about Tom 's death to Helens home to ensure her that he is truly was sorry about his death. This made Helen feel more secure since Atticus actually put the thought into coming all the way to Helens home with Calpurnia. Atticus had brought Calpurnia with him since "she just fell down in the dirt. Just fell down in the dirt like a giant" he knew that something like this would happen, and Calpurnia would be the most comforting person to her at that moment. [Lee 322] Similar to this, the …show more content…
Time is something that cannot be played with . In Harper Lee 's novel there is a character known as Boo Radley who is the big mystery to the town. He does not leave his house which leads the kids to wonder who he is. In the end of the novel Scout finally earns the trust of Boo Radley but that was after multiple attempts. Boo left " two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies" for the kids in a tree. This was the first sort of sign of trust between Boo and the children. During the fire at Miss Maudie 's in the colder days resulted Boo putting a blanket over Scout, and at the end of the novel Boo Radley gave the kids their "lives" by saving them from Bob Ewell. [ Lee 373] Connecting to this Jefferson took a while to trust Grant since he never truly knew that Grant actually cared for him and was here with a purpose. Grant would come to Jefferson 's cell saying "I brought you some food" every once in a while to show him that he cared of his well being. Grant also promised Jefferson a scoop of ice cream. By making Jefferson small promises and completing them, this causes there to be a strong bond between the two. Jem earned Miss Dubos ' trust by completing her given task. "Read to me for 3 weeks" was the given task by Ms. Dubose for ruining her yard. By completing this task Ms Dubose thought of Jem as more of a young man rather than a child. On the other hand Jefferson took time to trust