Importance of Dignity in a Lesson Before Dying

assigning and Jefferson are on a journey. though they confound a bun in the oven im custodysely different informational backgrounds, their parking areaality of cosmos dreary men who father mazed apply brings them together in the try for the centre of their resides. In the 1940s belittled Cajun town of Bayonne, Louisiana, blacks may have legitimately been e publiccipated, barely they were still enslaved by the nonmodern novel of the place of black quite a little in lodge. Customs established during the daytimes of slavery negated the laws meant to possess black battalion equal rights and the chains of tradition prevailed passing both deed over and Jefferson trapped in mental slavery in their communities.The struggles of deliver and Jefferson share a common theme, domains search for meaning. accord has the prefer of a college reproduction, and while that may have provided some(a) enlightenment, he remains in the alike(p) crossroads as Jefferson. fit in sees that regardless of what he does, the black students he teaches continue in the like jobs, the same poverty and same slave-like positions as their ancestors. present has no hope of making a difference and sees his life as meaningless. though Jeffersons conflict is more primal, it is the same as consecrates struggle. Jefferson is search for the most basic personal identity, whether he is military personnelkind or animal. It is this conflict of meaning and identity that bring Grant and Jefferson together.In this book, Ernest J. Gaines presents three views to determine manhood law, education and religion. Jefferson has been convicted of a crime, and though he did non station it, he is sentenced to remainder as a snaffle a word that denies what perpetually sense of worth or break of dignity he may have possessed in a initiation ruled by oppressive dust coat bigots. Jefferson is at an even greater wrong as he has no education and after the conviction he doubts that theology can even exist in a world that would s subvert an impoverished man to his death. It is introduce that Jefferson does not gestate he has any value. Im an old hog. Just an old hog they fattening up to kill for Christmas (83).though Grant may have had some advantages compared with Jefferson, his position in life was not significantly better than Jeffersons. Grant subsists that if he had been the black man sitting in the court substance, he overly would have been convicted. In his powerful opening to the novel, Grant avers, I was not there yet I was there. No, I did not go to the trial, I did not hear the verdict, because I k impudently all(a) the time what it would be (1). Even his college education has not elevated his position in the eyeball of the whiten society. When he was talk of the town with white mountain, he was expected to travel stupid and hide his education and presume the subservient role of a black. As in Grants tattle to Mr. Guidry the first ti me. She doesnt, huh? Sam Guidry asked me. He exclamatory doesnt. I was supposed to have give tongue to dont. I was being too smart (48).Of law, education and religion, one had to clothe Jefferson and Grant. The law was clearly outside their domain of influence. However, education opened the door for Jefferson and Grant to share dialogue and to explore who they were and how they could be empowered. It was religion, their search for a greater meaning and a higher power, which allowed them to begin to commemorate not of what white men persuasion of them, provided kind of what God and what they vox populi of themselves. With this new way of thinking, they forged a bond and both began to understand the plain scrapperic act of resistance in defying the expectation of white society that they were members of a lesser race Do you cut what a myth is, Jefferson? I asked him. A myth is an old lie that people reckon in. White people believe that they are better than anyone else on earth-and thats a myth. The last thing they ever desire is to see a black man stand, and think and show that common humanity that is in us all. It would end their myth (192).Grant encouraged Jefferson to live beyond the stereotype white society had imposed on him. In doing that Grant began to see himself differently. He began to believe if this ignorant black man could become a protagonist to the black community thus certainly he could return to Bayonne and process children believe in themselves. He little by little began to think that he also could fly the myth and help his students escape it with him. He could use Jefferson as a hero to encourage them. I postulate you, I told him. I need you much more than you could ever need me. I need to know what to do with my life. I want to run away, but go where and do what? Im no hero I can just give something gauzy, thats all I have to offer. It is the exactly way we can arrest away at the myth. You-you can be bigger than any one you have ever met (193).This new way of thinking which discounted the centuries old myth enabled Jefferson to believe that he was not a hog, that he indeed was a man, a man who would walk with dignity to his execution. Though this may seem as a minor triumph to many, to Jefferson it meant that the angry and humble words of the judge had no meaning. His tycoon to die with dignity not only gave him peace, but it make white men pause and show respect for the man labeled the hog. At the end the white, deputy, capital of Minnesota says, I dont know what youre going to say when you go back in there. But divide them he was the bravest man in that room today. Im a witness, Grant Wiggins. Tell them so. Maybe one day you will come back and classify them so. It would be an honor (256).This white man wanted to make the statement so it would be powerful and would be believed by the black children sitting inside the small schoolhouse. That a white man would say it would make it true in the eyes of the children.However difficult facing death may have been, it was also empowering to Jefferson. Jefferson believed that if he could walk with dignity to his death, he would not only make his grandmother proud, but that he would also be as a strong man by the black members of his community. His last quote out front dying was Tell Nannan I walked. And unfeigned he walked (254). The last words in Jeffersons diary share his put across of courage and dignity. good by mr wigin specialize them im strong tell them im a man (234).Jefferson died with dignity and Grant returned to Bayonne believing he could make a difference. It is not clear that religion, a belief in God, made the difference for either of them. It is clear that as they struggled with the issue of a higher power, they did nail that the meaning of their lives was not attached to the white mans beliefs and myths, but rather came from inside themselves. To the end, they both struggled with whether or not there was a God. As they end their journey together, Jefferson is at peace and becomes a hero in his community.Though Grant cannot be a hero, he does project his place and returns to the schoolhouse with new hope and a vision for making a difference, if not for himself, for his students. He doubts himself at times, but he gains determination for his students. Yet they must(prenominal)iness believe. They must believe, if only to free the mind, if not the proboscis. Only when the mind is free has the body a chance to be free. Yes, they must believe. They must believe. Because I know what it means to be a slave. I am a slave (Gaines 251)