Ernest J. Gaines A Lesson Before Dying

First formal Essay A Lesson Before Dying Harper 1

Kerstin Harper
P.Piatkowski
English 3 Honors
9/5/10

Most of today’s research consists of surfing through the web and, copy and paste. Although in Ernest J. Gaines case, author of a lesson before dying, he actually gathers research and actual evidence himself. Research is an attempt to find out, while evidence is proof of what actually happened. The research and evidence that Gaines collected were crucial to the story and without could have changed the outcome of the book. Many statements could have been false if Gaines didn’t conduct his research. Research and evidence are two vital aspects of literature that shaped A Lesson Before Dying into the piece it is. Earnest J. Gaines intensely gathered information through out the entire process of writing A Lesson Before Dying. He read articles about older executions, talked to his students about there cases, interviewed a sheriff, and even had pictures of the electric chair posted in front of him while he was writing. “I want to discover, as you,
the reader, wish to discover, what it’s all about.” (Gaines, “Writing” 777) This statement by Gaines proves when he doesn’t know, he dares to figure out. He has a lot of motive behind his writing and from the beginning he doesn’t know what exactly is going to be put into the book nor does he know how he is going to figure the information out. Gaines as a writer goes the extra mile and displays true factual information in a fictional book. With Gaines background of growing up on a plantation in Louisiana he already knew certain important facts that contributed to the book. He already had a complete feel of the place and region since he lived there the first fifteen years of his life. “I could use
Harper 2 church school for background, the church where generations of my folks had worshiped and where I had attended school my first six years.” (Gaines, “Writing” 771) This quote displays Gaines background and explains his previous knowledge of the subject he chose to write on. Gaines also used previous knowledge from research that was used for other books he wrote where the setting took place on plantations and the lifestyles among the plantation. Along with Gaines research he made connections with real life situations and previous research to write his book. A college of Gaines, Paul Nolan, shoved Gaines in the right direction on many different occasions and even help develop the book. Once Gaines explained to Paul what he planned on writing, Paul said he knew a case where a seventeen year old boy was sentenced to die in the electric chair. “I read everything Paul Nolan gave me to read and all he recommended.” (Gaines, “Writing” 771) Gaines kept all of his options open and read these different cases to try and identify the process these people went through. Gaines had to know information like this that may have seemed so small but it would determine where Jefferson was held, visitation rights and many other aspects. The fact that Gaines was a professor at the University of Louisiana helps tremendously while researching. He had chances to draw to people outside the university and one of his students just happened to be an attorney representing a condemned man on death row. “And I would always ask him questions about this client: for example, what emotions did he show, knowing the he was going to die on a certain date, at a certain hour.” (Gaines, “writing” 772) Questions such as the ones asked, helped Gaines determine how display Jefferson’s emotions and what a man like him would genuinely be
Harper 3 feeling. This man also brought Gaines pictures of the electric chair formerly used there called “Gruesome Gerty”. Gaines found out important information such as how much the chair weighed, how it was transported, and how thick the straps were. “And I kept a picture of the chair on my desk, especially when writing the last chapters of the novel.” (Gaines, “Writing” 772) This goes to show how Gaines took his research and put it into his thoughts that were showed through out the book. Gaines came upon the problem of not knowing weather someone that didn’t have a close relationship with the person on death row still visit them.
He sent letters to the warden’s office and never received a reply. Another one of Gaines colleges helped him by letting him visit an ex-sheriff of a small town. There he asked the question he had proposed to the warden’s office. “The sheriff told me it would be left entirely to the discretion of the sheriff of the jail, who was totally in charge and made all the decisions.” (Gaines, “Writing, 772) This played a huge role because this now let Grant visit Jefferson and try to work with him in jail. It also set up the idea of Grant having to ask whites for rights and being belittled. Through just the colleges around Gaines he researched with the interviews and established valuable info the story couldn’t be
without. Earnest J. Gaines expediently gathers information from articles and other reliable sources through his process of writing A Lesson Before dying. Through his research and evidence he takes in different perspective, feels other emotions, and is inspired to write the book. “Most of my characters are willing to go over the line.” (Gaines, “Melus” 206) I believe this becomes an over all theme of Gaines that he bases his books off of.
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Through the research and evidence he accumulated, Gaines gave his charters humanity. He becomes emotionally involved in the piece and has sympathy for all of his characters. The two influences of research and evidence shape not only A Lesson Before Dying but also many other books. I now realize research is more than a copy and paste. Writing, for Gaines, is a discovery.