Thesis Paper

Centuries of knowledge could be lost if not for the books used to hold them for future generations. That’s why books can be powerful objects, a well educated person can break down numerous obstacles. As stated in a quote from Barbara Tuchman, “Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill.” Bottom-line civilization functions the way it does thanks to books. Even a fictional novel like A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines is a great piece of literature that reminds us of the days when segregation was heavily enforced and that such history shouldn’t be forgotten.
The novel is classified as a fictional one, but the relation to real life events and historical events is pretty accurate. Setting takes place around the New Orleans region during the thirties and forties. During this period of time slavery had long been abolished, but yet the deeply segregated south prevented colored people from achieving true equality. Many public places were divided into whites or blacks only, they ranged from water fountains, restrooms, to especially schools. So the readers were constantly being reminded of the hardships colored people went through, even more so with the protagonist being a black teacher.
The protagonist’s name is Grant Wiggins and he is teacher to the colored children in the quarter he lived in. His whole journey through the novel has him in a conflict within himself and in part with another man. His self conflict comes from many different directions. For example, he is one who believes in God but unlike his aunt Tante Lou he chooses to not waste his time going to church. His lack of faith is a result of what he goes through everyday. His other self conflict has him hating himself for not escaping the vicious circle that he blames every black person to be stuck in. A circle in which the youth with a lack of education go off for a better life but instead end up dead.
His final conflict is the one that haunts him throughout the novel. It is a task to teach a man to be proud, respect himself, and prove everybody wrong. Even when that same man is facing the death penalty for a crime he did not commit. Jefferson was wrongfully accused of killing an old man when he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. How was Grant going to take a broken boy and make him a man? Grant could’ve cared less because Jefferson was just reproving his theory of the vicious circle. Still the task had been placed upon him by his aunt who had the best interest of her friend Emma in mind. Emma was Jefferson’s relative, his godmother. Grant taught literature, arithmetic, and history he saw it as impossible to teach a person how to better themselves when he can’t even find his own purpose.
On top of these personal conflicts Grant still had to deal with society. He was a teacher and probably more educated than half the white people in town, but still he was only second to them and this frustrated him. During conversations with white folks he had to dumb down his vocabulary just to let them know he was in his place and he meant no disrespect. Still he knew how to use his words as a weapon when provoked. When talking to sheriff Guidry he had said “Yes, Sir. She doesn’t feel that she can.”(pg.48) referring to miss Emma. The word doesn’t was used intentionally to flex his intellect on the sheriff, he was supposed to have said don’t. This situation could have very well been presented to many well educated black people who carried conversations with whites during those times. Again the book reminds us how in our history people were punished for what they had said or by the way they had said it.
What moved the story was a metaphor that was used to defend Jefferson at the beginning of the story during trial. His defendant compared Jefferson to a hog and used it as an excuse for his wrong doing. Jefferson was not a man but a hog, an animal without intelligence who didn’t know what he was doing. Is that what colored people were considered back then? Animals? A history lesson for most, respect was nonexistent in the majority of people. Grant did his best to send a man to die with honor and not a hog like society labeled Jefferson to be.
Jefferson’s death was inevitable, but the way that he walked to his death chair spoke volumes and was unexpected. He did Grant, his Nannan Emma, and especially the black community proud. He died with dignity and walked like a man, kneeling before no one. A symbolic figure of being a human being and a smack right to the face of the white community. Jefferson’s spirit was strong much like the people who’s hearts were with him.
While the novel started to come to a close the author lightened the ending with a more optimistic and brotherly conversation between Grant and deputy Paul. Both men had met at the jail where Jefferson was held at. As Grant puts it Paul was the only official at the jail that had genuine respect for everybody, no matter the color. After delivering a notebook and the news that Jefferson was now gone Paul extended his hand and spoke. “Allow me to be your friend, Grant Wiggins. I don’t ever want to forget this day. I don’t ever want to forget him.”(pg 255) Such a friendship during those times were hard to come by and was used by the author as a glimpse of things to come.
Overall the novel was powerful and insightful. It could’ve easily been an autobiography due to the believable cast of characters and historical accuracy. To prove the quote the book took us back in time to relive those times and made the history everything but silent.