Jefferson In A Lesson Before Dying

“The judge told Jefferson that he had been found guilty of the charges brought against him, and that the judge saw no reason that he should not pay for the part he played in this horrible crime. Death by electrocution. The governor would set the date” (9). In Ernest J Gaines’ book, A Lesson Before Dying, Jefferson, a young black man has been convicted of a crime he did not commit. During the trial, it is said that Jefferson is a hog and incapable of planning anything close to a murder. As a result, it is decided that he will be executed for his crimes. Grant is a black teacher in Louisiana during the late 1940s who tries to make Jefferson a man before he dies. Tante Lou, Grant’s aunt, and Miss Emma, Jefferson’s godmother push Grant into helping
All the racial injustice that surrounds them can, every once in awhile be a good thing, like when it is made a defense that Jefferson is a hog, incapable of planning a murder. “‘Gentleman of the jury, look at him- look at him- look at this. Do you see a man sitting here? Do you see a man sitting here? I ask you, I implore, look carefully- do you see a man sitting here? Look at the shape of this skull, this face as flat as the palm of my hand- look deeply into those eyes. Do you see a modicum of intelligence? Do you see anyone here who could plan a murder, a robbery, can plan- can plan- can plan anything?’”(7). Although he is not really as awful as they make him out to be, this attorney is using society’s twisted rules against them. The man is using these societal rules to make a point that Jefferson is not like them, he is another species, something just not capable of all of that. Towards the end of the book, Jefferson is executed which shows one of the many negative effects of racial injustice.“‘After they put the death cloth over his face, I couldn’t watch anymore. I looked down at the floor,’ Paul was saying. His voice was quieter, less intense now. ‘I heard the two jolts, but I wouldn’t look up. I’ll never forget the sound of that generator as long as I live on this earth.’”(254). Racial injustice, in this situation, is
Racial injustice surrounds Grant and Jefferson along with their friendship. When Miss Emma is trying to convince Grant to visit Jefferson to help him become a man, it shows how racial injustice will bring them together. “‘I don't want them to kill no hog,’ she said. ‘I want a man to go to that chair, on his own two feet.’”(13). The racial injustice in this era eventually brings Jefferson and Grant together and betters their relationship. Even though what is being done to Jefferson is awful, the two of them persevere and forge a friendship. Their friendship is like the silver lining to a very dark cloud. When Grant first goes to visit Jefferson, Jefferson is reluctant to speak to Grant and Miss Emma and shows that making Jefferson into a man will be a difficult task. “‘You with ‘em?’ he asked me. ‘With who?’ I said. His eyes mocked me. They were big brown eyes, and the whites were too reddish, and he had been thinking too much the past few weeks, and the eyes mocked me.... He turned his head and began staring up at the ceiling again.”(74). Racial injustice affects Grant and Jefferson’s relationship very negatively when it is forming. Jefferson feels mistreated (and he is), so he takes out his anger towards Grant, making a friendship hard to form. Though Grant and Jefferson eventually become friends, it is a rocky road at the beginning and as they