A Lesson Before Dying Literary Analysis

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"All life is part of a complex relationship in which each is dependent upon the others, taking from, giving to and living with all the rest." ~ Jacques Yves Cousteau. This quote captures the complex natures of human relationships which is reflected in the novel, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. The main character, Grant, is put up to the difficult challenge of teaching a 22-year-old named Jefferson how to be a man before his imminent death sentence. Grant has a very pessimistic outlook and feels his teaching will be pointless, and the women in the novel have a great impact Grant’s attitude and actions during the story. The women in the novel each have positive and negative effects on Grant which results in complicated, two-sided relationships between Grant and these women.
Miss Emma, Jefferson’s godmother, is one of the first characters we are introduced to in the book and has an enormous influence on Grant. She has a positive force on Grant by making tons of food for Grant to take to Jefferson. The time and effort Miss Emma puts into making the food gives Grant motivation to bring it to the jail. It also gives Grant a way to connect with Jefferson. You can see this force in action when Grant takes Jefferson for a walk in the dayroom and persuades Jefferson to eat Miss Emma’s gumbo: “‘Look …show more content…
Although their relationships with Grant have both positive and negative aspects, ultimately it is for the better. In our own lives, we may not realize that the people we love and care about affect our decisions, attitudes and actions immensely. Even though there is almost always a negative side to every relationship, we can focus on the positive influences that other people have on us in order to be the most successful. It is up to you to recognize the people in your life that mold you into the person you are today and who you will

A Lesson Before Dying Literary Analysis

A Lesson Before Dying Literary Analysis There is a famous saying that goes, “Behind every successful man, there is an influential woman.” Women play important roles in the lives of men improving or changing their personality entirely. In the book A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, the protagonist Grant is given the task of restoring the dignity that was stolen by the white supremacist society into his former student Jefferson. Throughout the book, all credit goes to the women for Grant’s noticeable…

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A Lesson Before Dying Literary Analysis

Literary Criticism Paragraph In the book A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest J. Gaines, the motif of a hog and unequal treatment between races is highlighted when read through an economic and political lens. The book takes place in a small Cajun community in the 1940’s. The characters face lots of discrimination by the white people in their town, and get significantly less opportunities. Jefferson was wrongly convicted of murder and was given the death penalty. Grant is asked by his aunt to educate…

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A Lesson Before Dying: A Literary Analysis

In the novel A Lesson before Dying, Ernest J. Gaines elaborates upon the lives of a close-knit, southern community during a time of strife. Mr. Grant Wiggins, a school teacher suffering internal conflict, is sought teach humanity and mortality to Jefferson, an innocent man on death row. Throughout Devil in a Blue Dress, author Walter Mosley fabricates the character of Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins, an unemployed assembly-line worker. Once Easy finds an alternative vocation, he encounters several dangerous…

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