Dehumanization in the book A Lesson before Dying by Gaines - Essay Example

The storyline starts with the death of Mr. Grope. Mr. Jefferson, a slow witted man who coincidentally happens to be in the scene of the murder is convicted of the killing. To show the logic behind his conviction, the store owner (Mr. Grope) and the two black men are dead, leaving him the only man standing at the scene of crime, literally. Earlier on, Jefferson had met the two men while on his way to the bar (Gaines 2). Upon stumbling on them, he had somehow changed his mind and decided to accompany them to the liquor store when shooting occurred so did his predicaments. This essay therefore seeks to explain the dehumanizing acts that occur to and through the various characters. It opens the analytical and sympathetic eyes of the reader to the guise under which evil takes place in our country. The essay also invokes reliable solutions to this real world problem. The essay outline 1. Abstract A thesis statement 2. Introduction 3. First main idea 4. Second main idea 5. Final idea 6. conclusion Along the corridors of justice, after Jefferson has been convicted of murder, his lawyer puts it that his client is no more than a poor fool and likens him to a hog. It is his way of showing that Jefferson is not capable of committing the act he is charged with. Infuriated with the lawyer’s dehumanizing and insulting reference to her godson, Miss Emma, Jefferson’s godmother decides to coerce Grant Wiggins to help her in ensuring at least Jefferson dies an honorable death (Gaines 7). Grant, who now teaches at a plantation in Louisiana, secretly loathes the acts of injustices extended on his fellow black men but does not want to get involved in the judicial administration. It is therefore no surprise that he does not want to feature in the Grope vs. Grant case. Tante Lou, Grant’s aunt how manages to convince him into helping Jefferson. The company’s- Grant, Miss Emma and Tante Lou- first trip to see Jefferson in his cell is futile as they discover that he heard too much of the lawyer’s hurting words which had a depressing effect on him. He therefore refuses to talk to them and after an hour of uncomfortable silence, they all leave. Jefferson would later say that dignity is preserved for young man’s and not hogs when Grant tries to get him in touch with his humane side (Gaines 26). Grant continues to see Jefferson and is surprised while he initiates a conversation about ice cream one day (Gaines 27). Encouraged by this turn of events, Grant borrows money from the townspeople which he uses to buy Jefferson a radio. He also gives him a small notebook and encourages him to jot down whatever thoughts he has. Jefferson lives up to his promise and upon Grant’s next visit, he has written substantial differences between men and hogs. Meanwhile, Grant’s relationship with his girlfriend Vivian and Reverend Ambrose has grown for the better. However, he is thought have a justifiably relationship with Paul. For Rev. Ambrose, his idea is to use Grant to reach out to Jefferson’s atheistic soul (Gaines 47). In his defense, Jefferson says that being an atheist doesn’t make him a bad or good person. Upon realizing the implications of Jefferson’s death upon his community in that he has metamorphosed into a community symbol, Grant however channels his efforts into ensuring that Jefferson meets a humane death. Jefferson’s execution is scheduled for two weeks after Easter (Gaines 100). By virtue of being attached to Jefferson, Grant realizes that he cannot attend the trial, and he doesn’t. A courthouse deputy, Paul, comes with the news that the execution has already taken place. News that is met by a heavy hearted Grant. To the average reader, A Lesson before Dying passes as a simplistic novel. But this is not the case to a keen reader. The novel euphemizes a critical outlook at the conditions and status of African Americans in the South, post-World War II and prior to the Civil Rights Movement. Other reads such as The Life and Work of Polanyi and Let my people go: The Story of the Underground Railroad also can make very interesting reads to help any person demystify dehumanization. In the person of Grant, who is the only formally educated black in the area, the reader is introduced to a person who feels hopeless in his dream to liberate his people. It is through Grant that the theme of dehumanization takes a formal perspective. He has an education, like most Americans but is still conformed to being a school teacher. By having a black skin, however, Grant’s career and life choices are severely curtailed. He must also always address white figures in authority as “sir”. Grant, accustomed to his helpless station in life, subscribes to the thought that there is nothing he can do to change his life, or that of those around him. And to the reader, this is essentially true. He lives in a cocoon of myriad and strong opposing forces (Buckmaster 45). For example, Tante Lou and her persistent wants, the local blacks thirst for leadership, the children’s needs and the annoying fact that he has to follow a religion he doesn’t subscribe to. Grant personifies dehumanization in that his options in life are as limited as those around him and he has to further carry their cross (Levitt 58). Another case to further develop the theme of dehumanization is Jefferson. As shown above, he was not given his democratic rights of a fair trial. When he came close to this, the lawyer representing him only made his case worse by likening him to a hog. Textual evidence shows that is had a very profound and disheartening effect on the poor prisoner. The jail conditions did not help in improving his state of mind or hopes either (Levitt 77). Textual evidence points out to the existence of separate cells for blacks and whites. Furthermore, the cell in which Jefferson was, in a manner of speaking, certifiably disgusting. It is described as follows, “...Roughly six by ten, with a metal bunk covered by a painfully thin mattress…a toilet with neither a toilet seat nor a toilet paper; a washbowl covered in grime and brownish from residue….at the end opposite the door was a barred window...I could see the sunlight on the upper leaves.”The description above fits a grime prison. The prison can be seen as both a literal solitary confinement and metaphorical. Jefferson’s prison experience can only be likened to the events narrated in Albert Camus’ The Stranger. This is because such an environment is not only likely to expose the prisoners to dire medical conditions but also inhibits their creativity. It also goes against the prisoners human rights. It is actually a surprise that Jefferson was able to write in those conditions! One would not be far from right to think that these conditions were meted to all the black citizens. The fact that the act of Grant providing him with a radio was also criticized only goes to show how alienated the prisoners are. This therefore signifies that the dehumanization took place virtually everywhere. Another critical area to feature is the area or township where the story is set. Bayonne is described as a small town of approximately six thousand inhabitants. A greater number of these are white and the rest obviously black. Now, let’s take a look at the description given of Bayonne. “…a Catholic church uptown for the whites and another downtown for the blacks. A movie theatre for the white people and another for the blacks.” This racial segregation extended to the elementary schools where one for each racial group existed. A critical analysis at any faith is that there exists a Supreme Being who unifies the universe, regardless if color, sex, creed or geographical differences (Buckmaster 119). It is therefore ironical that this same church advocates for segregation and prejudice. This alienation must have seeped its way into the minds of the young blacks to believe that they were lesser human beings compared to the whites. This can explain why Jefferson was an atheist as well as Grant. Important to note is that the school also served as the church. Thus, the desks which the children used for their learning were also used by their parents during service. Besides being explicitly upfront on the theme of dehumanization in the novel, Gaines provides a hope for the people in the fictional Bayonne and the world over. Through Grant who helps Jefferson discover the purpose and significance of his life, Gaines also shows a transformed Grant. The novel tries to pinpoint alienation and dehumanization as a real and serious threat to people’s faith, religion, self-confidence as well as their very existence (Buckmaster 85). Ironically, it was written shortly after the most epic of dehumanization battles was won in South Africa. It goes ahead to show us that, just like Nelson Mandela said, it is the small things we do that transform our communities and gives us the will to survive and change more(Levitt 75). Jefferson therefore does learn a lesson before dying. Also the mention of the butterfly at the end of the novel symbolizes that though Jefferson flies away to his next life with a very important lesson (Gaines 254). PS: Blue text refers to the primary text while the purple text shows the secondary text. Works cited Buckmaster Henrietta. Let my People Go: The Story of the Underground Railroad. Kansas Press, LA. 1992. Print. Gaines, J. Ernest. A Lesson before Dying. Knopf Publishing Group, Louisiana. 1993. Print. Levitt Kari. The Life and work of Karl Polanyi: A Celebration. Michigan Press, Kansas. 1990. Print. Read More