Grant’s Understanding of Justice
In Ernest J. Gaines historical fiction novel A Lesson Before Dying justice is one of the key elements in this book and is shown through the character Grant who is also the protagonist. Grant is the character in this novel responsible for carrying out the meaning of justice and help the character Jefferson to “die like a man” or to not “die like a hog.” Grant will pursue “justice” until it is won and Grant sees “justice” as letting Jefferson “die as a man” and not “dying like a hog.” Grant is an African American man who is in his twenties and teaches a class of kindergarten through sixth graders on a plantation in Louisiana. The author uses Grant as the protagonist as if he is the only one that can help save Jefferson. Although Grant doesn’t want to help Jefferson Grants aunt wants him to and seeing how the novel is based in Louisiana in the nineteen-forties Grant is one of the few educated African American people that can and will help Jefferson “die like a man.”
The author set the location of the novel in Louisiana in the nineteen-forties where not many African Americans were as well educated as Grant was. This gave Grant the role of helping Jefferson not because he wanted to but because his aunt wanted him to. Jefferson is dipicted as an ignorant African American youngman who has no chance of being shown any mercy or any chance of being shown innocent in trial and Grant knows that but Grant sees justice as Jefferson “dying like a man” so he continues to try and find what he sees as justice.
Grant successfully keeps the theme of justice alive in this novel by continually trying to help Jefferson not “die like a hog” and although Grant may have failed in helping Jefferson “die a man” the degree that Grant is successful in his search for justice is Grant knew it was impossible to help this young African American boy because of the