Throughout the novel, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, a variety of themes, motifs, and other literary devices are used to develop character and/or advance the plot. Albeit not the most profound or meaningful device, the idea of communion and sharing of food as described in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas C. Foster, is immensely powerful in characterizing relationships. The denial of, acceptance of, or even just the food itself are all used to describe everything from mutual hatred to sense of community to the state of character’s personality or relationship with another character. It can even be observed in the literal biblical notion of communion such as Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. The refusal of …show more content…
Sometimes the symbolism is clear, as with mentioning the town slaughterhouse slaughters hogs and Jefferson was just called a hog in the last chapter. More often than not, at least for Grant, the question is whether the meal or communion is a food or a drink. In Grant’s case, he repeatedly refuses his aunt’s family cooking in favor of drinking with his lover Vivian; “It was a slow night. The few people at the bar were holding on to their glasses and not buying any more. Shirley, the waitress, was sitting on a barstool at the far end, and she had not moved once since I had been there. Vivian and I went to a table far over into the corner, where we could be alone” (E. Gaines, pg. 28). This can tell the reader a lot about their relationship, as the drink is usually either alcohol or coffee. Both beverages can be seen as escapes from reality, or a quick jolt of energy to break ones foul mood or bad day. As Foster noted, “So I have to explain that just as intercourse has meanings other than sexual, or at least did at one time, so not all communions are holy.” One can interpret that either their meetings or their relationship as a whole is an escape from reality or a quick rush of energy when feeling down, at least for Grant