Quote #3 - A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines

July 8, 2011

Page 73

"'It don't matter,' I heard him say. He was looking up at the ceiling.
'What don't matter?'
He didn't answer.
'What don't matter, Jefferson?'
'Nothing don't matter,' he said, looking up at the ceiling but not seeing the ceiling."

- Miss Emma and Jefferson, while Grant and Miss Emma visit him in jail for the first time.


Nothing don't matter. Jefferson has finally spoken the words Grant has been thinking since his aunt told him about Miss Emma's wishes for him to teach Jefferson. It doesn't matter what Grant does for Jefferson, he's going to die anyways. Maybe Jefferson and Grant are more similar than they seem. They both see the visits as a waste of time.

So how is Grant going to teach Jefferson that it does matter if he doesn't care? I think it's going to take Grant to realize the effect that Jefferson's life really has on the community first. Grant seems out of touch with society. The only true emotions he feels, comes from his relationship with Vivian. So perhaps Vivian is the key to making Grant see the importance to caring about Jefferson, by connecting him to Jefferson on an emotional level.

So maybe this will be the challenge Grant needs? Like when Grant's teacher told him to run from their community. Grant didn't take that as good advice to follow, but as a challenge he needed to faced to prove the teacher wrong. Grant has been very angry up to this point in the book, so maybe he needs to face somebody who harbor more anger, for him to face the true reason behind his anger, which I think relates back to the racism he has to face.