A Lesson before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines Essay -- A Lesson before Dyi

A Lesson before Dying, one of Ernest J. Gaines later works, was written in 1993. Some of his earlier works include A Gathering of Old hands and In My Fathers House. The novel covers a time period when blacks were still treated unfairly and looked down upon. Jefferson, a main character, has been wrongly impeach of a crime and awaits his execution in jail. concede, the storys main protagonist must go steady it within himself to help Jefferson see that he is a man, which will allow him to walk bravely to his fate that lies in the execution chair. A Lesson before Dying captures the tale of a young teacher, who by service another mistakenly finds his own soul. This paper explains the literary background of Gaines, facts about the novel, literary criticism, film reviews, social issues of the time, and a personal analysis of the cinema.The story begins with a trial of Jefferson being accused of murder. During the trial his lawyer calls him a hog that is not even worthy of the death p enalty. Ultimately Jefferson is sentenced to death by electrocution. During the weeks interest Miss Emma, who is Jeffersons nanan, wishes for Grant Wiggins, a young schoolteacher to speak with Jefferson and make him understand that he is a man. Although Grant refuses he is forced to go by Tante Lou, his aunt and a good friend of Miss Emmas. Upon their first few visits Jefferson is cold towards Grant and Miss Emma, obviously believing he is a hog, as the attorney has stated. He refuses food offered by his nanan, saying that food aint for hogs. After Frequent visits, Jefferson begins to open himself up to Grant and speak about his feelings. in one case Jefferson trusts Grant he is competent to realize that he is a man and not a worthless hog. Through helping Jefferson become a man, Grant has done his own unconscious soul searching which has helped him find who he is, and has found him a place with God. Ernest J. Gaines was an African American writer who was born on January 15, 1933 in Oscar, Louisiana. Although Gaines schooling was limited to a few classes, he attended at San Francisco State and Stanford University he was able to become a distinguished writer of his time. A few of his most recognized works include The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pitman and In My Fathers House. Gaines grew up on a farm where he helped his family by working in the fields where he was paid only $.50 a day. Whe... ...The turning point was when Jefferson opened up to Grant and he was able to convince him that he was not a hog, but a man. I also believe it was the most moving scene of the movie. All the emotions that were put into spoken language in the book came to keep in the movie. Overall I thought that the movie was a very good interpretation of the novel. It is very rare to find a movie that follows the book so precisely. I think that even if I had not read the book I would have understood the movie well enough to follow along and understand Gaines message. I thought it was very moving, especially being able to see the characters of the book come to life in the movie. In conclusion, Ernest J. Gaines presents to us, the reader, a story about mans ability to triumph over lifes obstacles when sometimes faced with jolting realities. For Grant, it was helping Jefferson to realize who he was, that gave him the strength to find himself. Sometimes the answers to lifes problems are not unendingly cut and dry. The solutions can not always be seen clearly, but it is important to never give up. It is in the worst times when we must look to ourselves and examine who we are in order to attain and carry on.