During the 1940s, cases of racial injustice in America were at a record high. These prompted several cases highlighted in various headlines across the country. In A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest J, Gaines narrates the story of Jefferson, a victim of one notable racial injustice. Jefferson is condemned to death despite his innocence. In telling the story of Jefferson and Grant Wiggins, the schoolteacher who crossed paths with the innocent field worker, Gaines exposes the harsh realities and paints a horrific picture of the broken justice system during the Jim Crow era.
Gaine’s novel takes the reader through an oppressive, rotten justice system that abused human dignity and caused social relationships to fail. The broken justice system in turn led to a broken society where individuals who face systemic racism are subjected to terrible cruelties.
Framing an Innocent Man
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A Lesson Before Dying tells the story of how Jefferson became the subject of a case that involved the murder of a white store owner during a failed robbery. Based on evidence that Jefferson was in the wrong place at the wrong time, an all-white jury convicts him of the crime. During the trial, Jefferson is likened to a “hog,” which strips him of his human dignity as he tries to make a case for himself. With the jury denying him his dignity, his fate is inevitable. The novel shows the psychological and emotional trauma the accused faces in a hostile legal system and highlights a dark era in the lives and history of African-Americans.
By depicting a failed legal system that discriminates against people based on their skin color, A Lesson Before Dying underscores the effects of racism. Rather than focusing on his actions at the crime scene, the jury instead uses his skin color to decide his fate. By presenting the court proceedings intensely, Gaines shows how the Jim Crow justice system showed blatant disrespect for human dignity. The system prevented members of racial minorities from having basic human rights and crushed the disadvantaged without thinking or caring about the consequences.
The Burden of Responsibility
Wiggins, the novel’s narrator, is disillusioned by the racism of the society he lives in. Though Jefferson’s godmother tasks the teacher to impart some knowledge to her godson and help him die “like a man,” Wiggins is unmotivated to fulfill her request because he knows the flaws of the system. He’s witnessed how society greatly looked down on black men, knows that the oppressive nature of this system does not consider equality, and understands that this obstacle would greatly diminish his efforts towards justice.
Grant experiences the despair Jefferson feels firsthand when he visits the latter in his cell. Jefferson is broken and has resigned to his fate of being a “hog.” This revelation of Jefferson’s suffering magnifies Grant’s perception of society’s vices. The Jim Crow era destroyed many families psychologically, and Jefferson’s account underscored this fact.
Gaines paints Grant’s journey as one of moral awakening and self-discovery that motivates the character to empower Jefferson. Though Jefferson might have lost his freedom and life, Grant is there to remind him that his dignity is a powerful weapon Jefferson can wield in fighting a failed justice system. In turn, Grant can seek redemption by empowering Jefferson toward emancipation.
The Triumph of Human Dignity
As A Lesson Before Dying progresses, Jefferson begins to win his battle to regain his self-worth under Grant’s guidance. Grant drives Jefferson’s willpower for human dignity despite all the latter has been through. In his journals, Jefferson reveals that he’s found his own identity, which symbolizes his liberation.
During his execution, Jefferson embraces his fate with dignity. He no longer sees himself as a lesser person but as a human being capable of feeling remorse and pride. This proud moment highlights the main theme of the novel: courage, a key quality that helped free society from prejudice. The novel identifies human dignity and self-worth as sacred and capable of liberating broken souls from extreme oppression.
Final Thoughts
The despicable injustices depicted in A Lesson Before Dying outlined a dark period for race relations in the United States during the 1940s. The protagonist, Jefferson, overcomes his challenges despite being stripped of his freedom and life. Although society has evolved significantly since then and cases similar to Jefferson’s have dwindled, Gaines reminds us of our greatest power. Human dignity is sacred, and the novel takes us on a journey to unearth its power. The novel is beautiful because evil is defeated, even in death.
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