Religion In Ernest J. Gaines A Lesson Before Dying

Throughout A Lesson Before Dying by Earnest J. Gaines, the author explores the characters’ evolving relationships with God and spirituality as black people living in pious Louisiana in the late 1940s. Two characters, Grant Wiggins and Reverend Ambrose, develop a rivalry based on their opposite interpretations of spirituality. Gaines uses these characters in order to comment on the nature of religion, especially as many events in the novel call characters to question and grow in their relationship with God. Characters, like the Reverend, that push religion onto others don’t always consider what is best for that individual. The characters of Reverend Ambrose and Grant Wiggins show the underlying theme that religion is not always what is best for the individual. Reverend Ambrose is initially portrayed as a strong leader of the black religious community, but his tumultuous relationship with Grant forces him to reveal his motivation. Essentially this character is a good …show more content…
While the Reverend treats Jefferson like a dying man, Grant treats Jefferson like a man. Grant does not believe in heaven, and for most of the book we are lead to believe he is completely atheist. However, in his conversation with the Reverend in Chapter 27, he reveals otherwise. On page 214, paragraph twelve, he says, “I believe in God, Reverend. I believe in God. Everyday of my life I believe in God.” This reveals that while he is continually growing in his spirituality, he doesn't claim to know that God or heaven either exists or doesn't exist. He even admits that he is lost. Throughout the book he grows from cynical atheism to his own sort of spirituality. He never forces anything on Jefferson because he is focused making on him comfortable in the present. Since they are both lost, they are able to grow together, which changes both Jefferson and Grant for the