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Racism In Faulkner's A Lesson Before Dying

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Racism In Faulkner's A Lesson Before Dying
A Lesson Before Dying was published on January 1st 1993. Ever since that moment people have found this book extremely moving and inspirational. It is mostly because his messages about racism during that time and how it affected people and their government in Bayonne. Jefferson’s trial is unjust because of it and even Jefferson’s mind is corrupted with it. The entire novel shows racism as an oppressive force. The beginning of this story starts off with Grant describing how he thought the trail from what he’s heard from the others. The Judge, the lawyers and entire jury was white, Jefferson didn't have a chance against them. Even his lawyer didn't use actual evidence to prove his innocence, he called him a fool. His lawyer also said …show more content…
The hog comment really got to Jefferson and his behavior changed a lot at the jail. Jefferson started to act like an actual hog to prove to grant that he was in fact a hog and what the attorney said was actually true. In the jail during their first visit Jefferson is distant, when asked if he wanted food by Miss Emma he declines and says that nothing matters anymore. Being there in jail under his circumstances he wanted to give up and he even considered eating unimportant. The next few trips were as uneventful as the first but on the fourth trip Miss Emma faked being sick so Grant would go alone from then on. When Grant got there he asked Jefferson if he wanted any of the food Grant brought he answered but not in a way anyone would expect. He asked Grant is he brought any corn, Grant said no and then asked why. Then Jefferson replied it was what hogs eat and got on all fours and ate from the bag of food as a hog would. Jefferson was convinced he meant no more than a hog to anyone. The racism in the book affected Jefferson’s head dramatically. The entire book was focused on showing was that racism is an oppressive force and how it changed these people's lives. It ruined Jefferson’s chance to live his life it wrecked Jefferson’s trail and poisoned Jefferson’s mind. The attorney used racist comments against the charges and called him stupid, then those comments made Jefferson act
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