Dehumanization In A Lesson Before Dying

The novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines reflects the type of life people of color had in the South. The novel explores the unjust and discriminatory system blacks lived under by narrating the story of a young black man, Jefferson, who was unrightfully convicted and sentenced to death. Since the beginning of the novel, the system dehumanizes and emasculates male characters, and it continues to be seen throughout the novel. The most affected being Jefferson, Grant, and Reverend Ambrose. Although they are dehumanized and emasculated, they find a way to express their humanity,
The main character, Jefferson, is the first male that is dehumanized and emasculated in the novel. In Chapter 1, Jefferson is referred to as a hog by the prosecutor, and being referred to as hog deprives Jefferson from his innate human right: the right to be seen as a human being and nothing less than a human being. By Jefferson being referred to as a hog, the white …show more content…
Grant is dehumized because he is let known that he is a second-class citizen who will always have to lower himself in the presence of whites. This can be seen when Grant visits Henri Pichot’s house, and Pichot and his friends make Grant wait for a long time. The narrator states, “ ‘About two and a half hours, sir,’ I said. I was supposed to say ‘Not long,’ and I was supposed to grin; but I didn’t do either” (47). Grant is being dehumanized by the wealthy empowered white men because Grant is being forced to wait for the white men. Since Grant has to wait for Pichot and his friend, they are letting Grant know who are the ones in charge. They are also letting Grant know that he will always be last priority. In addition, Pichot and his friends emasculate Grant because making Grant wait more than two hours imply that compared to them, Grant is less important; therefore, he is less of man than