Examples Of Conflict In A Lesson Before Dying

In the book A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines there were a numerous number of conflicts that the main characters had to deal with. Presumably, the most prevalent conflict in the novel would be the racial conflict between whites and blacks. This is a huge conflict in this novel because itv was during the time of the Civil War. In the book it starts when one of the main characters ,named Jefferson, asks two men named Brother and Bear for a ride and they stop at a store. Brother, Bear and Jefferson all go in, then Brother and Bear try to rob the owner of the store which is undoubtedly a white man. As they are attempting to robs the man it inevitably turns into a shoot out. After the shoot out the only person that is still alive
is Jefferson and he honestly does not know what to do. Therefore, he stays there and drinks some of the liquor in the store. So, when the police get there there they take Jefferson to jail and he is eventually charged with the murder of the white man and is sentenced to death by the Electric Chair or as it is later called it “Gruesome Gerty”. The main conflict that was established earlier is clearly ingrained multiple times during the trial. Such as, during the trial Jefferson lawyer ,who is white, calls him a “dumb hog”. And even though he is trying to protect Jefferson, he still finds a way to demote and demoralize him at the same time. But, all in all the lawyer says this because he stayed at the crime scene instead of leaving while he had the chance because he was innocent. This brought hatred and anger to the family of Jefferson and they still ended up finding him guilty. Later while he awaited his death
Trapp 2 date he had to stay in jail… But his nannan got did not want him to go to the chair as a “dumb hog”, she wanted him to go as a man. So, she asked Grant who was a teacher to go up to the jailhouse and see that he goes as a man not a hog. But first they had to get the approval of Sheriff Guidry and Henry Pichot. Both the sheriff and Pichot were very cocky and arrogant, especially when it came to dealing with black people. When Jefferson's nannan went to the Pichots house they made her wait a long time and was very passive and rude with her. They questioned every comment and everything that she said, and in an enormously rude manor. The conflict continued throughout the entire novel. But the end result was that they were all allowed to visit Jefferson. The only people that were allowed to see Jefferson was his Tante Lou, Miss Emma, Grant and Reverend Ambrose. The second most relevant conflict in the novel was the feud between Jefferson and himself while he was in the jail awaiting his trial. Jefferson was depressed and felt that he actually was a “dumb hog” ever since the trial. He toiled with this because, he knew that he was not the brightest person. And, he also knew that he was not a hog but being repeatedly called one and then being placed in a cell awaiting to be killed. While awaiting the trail his nannan would bring him food, yet this only made him feel that he was just being fattened up to be slaughtered like a hog. When Grant and everyone first started going to the jail, Jefferson would not speak to any of them he would only lay on his bunk. But towards the end of the story Grant got him to open up and take the advice of the reverend and eat the food that his nannan always prepared for him when they went to the jail. In the end when Jefferson went to the chair he went as a man and with astounding pride, not a hog.