Term Paper on a Lesson before Dying
A Lesson Before Dying’, is strongly influenced by a dependence on the land to
satisfy basic needs. Food is depicted as not only something that provides
nourishment but also as something that serves as a medium to exercise power, to
exhibit other emotions of acceptance or rejection, and to convey these feelings
to others. In ‘A Lesson before Dying’ Gaines not only communicates the types of
foods that this culture prepares and shares during meals and at gatherings, but
also clearly marks the main significance of foodways as dominant symbols in this
culture and in his novel. In looking at the reasons for the food choices and
behaviors of the characters in ‘A Lesson Before Dying’, it is important to
reflect on the reaction of man to his primary natural environment. “This book
has much to teach us about the isolation, stigma, loneliness and theological
questioning that a death sentence entails. Although in the novel it is a
sentence handed down by a judge, parallels can be drawn with terminal illness.”
(endeavor.med.nyu.edu)
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In ‘A Lesson Before Dying’, Jefferson, a young black man, is charged and
convicted of murder. Though he is innocent of the murder, he is to blame of
drinking whiskey at the scene of murder and stealing money from the cash
register. His actions are justified by their being an attempt to pacify his
primary physiological needs. The writer emphasizes that Jefferson was merely an
innocent bystander at the time of murder and he took the money to quench his
thirst.
Every character in ‘A Lesson Before Dying’ is portrayed by their using of
emotions associated with food to communicate with others to manifest power,
love, or anger. The rituals are key in providing a fitting environment for the
deep communication of love and emotions that transpires over what look otherwise
to be only the everyday activity of the ingestion of food. Grant often condemns
the norms of the society. Grant’s series of visits to see Jefferson are critical
to the story in this novel. He harshly resents being treated like an inferior,
and he cannot stand to think of Jefferson's biased arrest. He concludes that no
one can change society without being shattered in the process. Grant's manner
erodes his ability to effect positive transformation.
Grant sees the wickedness of a system intended to uphold the control of one race
over another. He sees a judge ignorant of justice, and a jury deaf to truth.
These things are especially annoying as no one stands up to challenge them. The
whole town accepts Jefferson's sentence with a solemn hush. But Grant carries
through to resist his aunt and Miss Emma, who implore him to teach Jefferson how
to retrieve his humanity. Grant didn't even go to the trial to show he already
knew the result of the trial. Over the course of the novel, however, Grant comes
to actualize that his own cynical attitude can only lead to more unfair trials.
Grant accepts Jefferson's case as his own and starts to fight for Jefferson's
salvation. He accepts his responsibility within the society he inhabits, and
therefore takes the first step toward correcting the society. Through Grant's
transformation, Gaines suggests that every man should undergo a similar process,
joining the fight against public unfairness.
Jefferson becomes a Christ figure, all through the novel. Unjustly tried and
convicted, the simple-minded Jefferson grows to the height of a martyr by the
end of the novel. In trying to move Jefferson to die with dignity, Grant in fact
expresses regret in front of Jefferson, saying that he feels beaten but will
find salvation, if not as a Christian then simply as a cherished and active
member of his community. In one of his conversations with Vivian, Grant
acknowledge that only Jefferson can save him, in essence perceiving that
Jefferson is the chosen one.
Works Cited
A Lesson Before Dying Literature Annotations, Last Modified 11/1/00
http://endeavor.med.nyu.edu/lit-med/lit-med db/webdocs/webdescrips/gaines1272-des-.html
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