Symbols And Motifs In A Lesson Before Dying

The literary devices found in this novel were the use of symbols, repetition, and motifs. As the novel progresses we see several examples of symbolism, but one of the most important ones was when Grant is sitting by a tree while he pondered on the thought of the death of his dear friend Jefferson. Suddenly he sees a butterfly pass by him, he then uses is that as clear and obvious symbol that Jefferson had already passed away. This symbol of using a butterfly to symbolize death instead of something dark, highlighted the idea of Gaines that death was not the ending of Jefferson but merely the door to his complete transformation into a greater being. That Jefferson in his human form was just a caterpillar ready to turning to something much bigger than anticipated, that his execution wasn’t a curse but actually a gift.
A fool got into that automobile. A fool rode to the grocery store. A fool stood by and watched this happen, not having the sense to run.” The use of repetition with the word fool not only exemplifies the thought of racism of society towards African Americans but also the way that even the legal system during this time. That the jury and the judge had a colored lens against this poor man, that no matter that the evidence proved his innocence of not being a murderer. Lastly motifs, motifs are seen several times throughout the plot but one of the main and most evident examples of this was the motif of Jefferson as Jesus Christ. As mentioned before, Jefferson seems to be a character reflection of Jesus done by Gaines to demonstrate not only the break of the line of race in religion but also that a person of humble background and colored skin can demonstrate such worth. Jesus is resembled through Jefferson by his sacrifices that were humbly made even though he was brought down by the society around