Identity In Ernest J. Gaines A Lesson Before Dying
Identity is Much More
Imagine having to help a person become who they truly are on a time crunch. In A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines the main character, Grant Wiggins, is a highly educated African American man living in 1940’s Louisiana. Grant is asked to help Jefferson who is the Grandson of a family friend, become a man before he is put to death for a crime he most likely did not commit. Grant is still struggling with finding his own identity, but helping another man find his too is twice the pressure. The most impactful aspect of Grant’s identity is his actions aroundg people of different race or age in his community because of how he differently he treats them, his education because of how it shapes his opinions and his commitment …show more content…
Grant never wanted to be involved with the whole ordeal, not knowing if he himself were a man or how to help Jefferson become one. Grant is very skeptical about if he will even help Jefferson or if it will just be a waste of time. When Grant is talking to his girlfriend about the situation he says “suppose I reached his and made him realize that he was as much a man as any other man; then what? He is still going to die. So what would I have accomplished? What will I have done? “ Grant doesn’t understand that he does not have to completly change Jefferson to make a difference, but by just making Jefferson’s attitude better, Grant is still helping him become a man and not stay the hog that he thinks he is. In the end Grants perserverance pays off because in a journal that Grant gave to Jefferson, he says “good by mr wigin tell them im strong tell them im a man”(Gaines 234). Because of Grant’s willingness to work on Jefferson and break off his shell of self hatred Jefferson died knowing that he was a genuinly good person who deserved to be called a man. The differences between Jefferson at the begining and at the end are polar opposites, because of Grant’s ability to push people to be the best person they can
Imagine having to help a person become who they truly are on a time crunch. In A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines the main character, Grant Wiggins, is a highly educated African American man living in 1940’s Louisiana. Grant is asked to help Jefferson who is the Grandson of a family friend, become a man before he is put to death for a crime he most likely did not commit. Grant is still struggling with finding his own identity, but helping another man find his too is twice the pressure. The most impactful aspect of Grant’s identity is his actions aroundg people of different race or age in his community because of how he differently he treats them, his education because of how it shapes his opinions and his commitment …show more content…
Grant never wanted to be involved with the whole ordeal, not knowing if he himself were a man or how to help Jefferson become one. Grant is very skeptical about if he will even help Jefferson or if it will just be a waste of time. When Grant is talking to his girlfriend about the situation he says “suppose I reached his and made him realize that he was as much a man as any other man; then what? He is still going to die. So what would I have accomplished? What will I have done? “ Grant doesn’t understand that he does not have to completly change Jefferson to make a difference, but by just making Jefferson’s attitude better, Grant is still helping him become a man and not stay the hog that he thinks he is. In the end Grants perserverance pays off because in a journal that Grant gave to Jefferson, he says “good by mr wigin tell them im strong tell them im a man”(Gaines 234). Because of Grant’s willingness to work on Jefferson and break off his shell of self hatred Jefferson died knowing that he was a genuinly good person who deserved to be called a man. The differences between Jefferson at the begining and at the end are polar opposites, because of Grant’s ability to push people to be the best person they can