Compare and Contrast To Kill A Mocking Bird and A Lesson Before Dying
Uploaded by konstantin on Sep 18, 2012
In our world racism and injustice is everywhere, most people try to avoid it and others see no other way but to face it. In “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, the author explained how we are surrounded by racism and injustice. Harper Lee also shows relationships struggles between family members, and friendships. In “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest Gaines, he brings the same similarities and a rich sense of place. In the novel he tried to show compassion for the people and their struggles. He tried to show that everyone in the world is important and is telling us that anyone can change. Both books are about racism and injustice in the south and how it can affect the people it concerns. “In A Lesson Before Dying” it starts out with Jefferson being sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. He was at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and because he was black the jury accused him of the crime. Grant Wiggins (a teacher who works at the community church) is told to go up to the jail and convince Jefferson that he is a man not a hog. At first he does not know how to transform Jefferson into a man, but through visiting Jefferson, talking to Vivian, and witnessing things throughout the community, he is able to reach out to Jefferson and convince him that he is a man. Finally at the end of the story there is a sense of victory because Jefferson dies feeling like a man. Throughout the book Grant always doubted and never believed in himself because everyone was putting pressure on him. For Jefferson he never felt that he was a man because he was never treated like one and never had hope for himself. In “To Kill A Mockingbird” the story is narrated by a young girl who goes by the name of Scout Finch. Scout’s real name is Jean-Louise Finch. Scout lives in the small Alabama town of Maycomb in the 1930’s with her brother, Jem and her widowed father, Atticus. The story takes place during the depression, but the Finch family is better off than many in the small town, as Atticus is a successful and respected lawyer.
Both books show us that, even in the face of hopelessness there is indeed hope, and that characters who struggle can move forward. There is...