Critical Analysis of "A Lesson Before Dying"
Uploaded by spootyhead on Mar 20, 2007
Critical Analysis of "A Lesson Before Dying"
The general purposes of generic novels are to entertain or inform. Reading can be an outlet for a creative mind or an inquisitive one. After the completion of a text, the reader should feel either enlightened or amused. However a good novel can do both. A good book can divert the audience from their own realities and yet can provide them with the opportunity for intellectual growth and mental stimulation. Connections can be made between the reader and the characters in the story and the events that happen to them. Ernest J. Gaines does just this with his novel, A Lesson Before Dying. This inspiring yet heartbreaking story was one that incited deep thought. Deep thought about the world in which the story takes place and deep thought about the world in which we live in currently. From the moment the novel is started to the moment it is finished, one is wrapped up in the world of Grant Wiggins. The novel is also very complex. There is a literal way to view the actions that take place and there is a more figurative way to look at the story as well. A Lesson Before Dying is a complex novel into the mind of Grant and Jefferson as they embark on a mental journey of realizations about justice, faith, humanity and eventually themselves.
This story takes place in Louisiana during the 1940’s on an old plantation in a very racist community. Jefferson is a poor uneducated man who gets unjustly accused of murder and sentenced to death. During his trial his white attorney makes a comment that will be the focus for a good part of the novel. His bases his arguments to the white jury and white judge that it would be pointless to execute this man because he is no better than a stupid hog and did not know any better. This deeply affects Jefferson. His godmother, Aunt Emma, is in the audience and, realizing the affect this would certainly have on Jefferson and his morale, asks Grant, the local schoolteacher to help Jefferson die with dignity and pride. Grant is angered at first by Aunt Emma and his aunt, Tante Lou’s, suggestion. He then reluctantly agrees. They make little...