Quote #9 - A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines

July 12, 2011

Page 174

"It was the kind of 'here' your mother or your big sister or your grate-aunt or your grandmother would have said. It was the kind of 'here' that let you know this was hard-earned money, but also, that you needed it more than she did, and the kind of 'here' that said she wished you had it and didn't have to borrow it from her, but since you did not have it, and she did, then 'here' it was, with love. It was the kind of 'here; that asked the question, When will all this end? When will a man not have to struggle to have money to get what he needs 'here'? When will a man be able to live without having to kill another man 'here'?

-Grant's interpretation of Thelma's "here," after giving him money to buy Jefferson a radio

Here: (Adverb) In or at this place. That is the definition of the word here according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Grant's definition is slightly different, but he wasn't just defining the word, he was talking about the meaning behind it. And the meaning was that "here'" was where people were trapped in the "vicious cycle" earlier mentioned. "Here" was where men can't provide for their family. Thelma might have been saying, "here's the money" but it came across to Grant as, "here's the place where there is so much suffering, and no escape." Grant saw it that way because that's what his main concerns and fears are about involving his community. It's a place where he can't afford much. Where he will have to constantly struggle to provide for his family and his rights. And where the white men will keep killing his kind for crimes they didn't commit, but it's just easiest to blame them. "Here" is where Grant wants to escape, but doesn't. Because "here" is also the place that is where Grant finds love. From Vivian, from his aunt, from the Reverend. That's what keeps him "here." This quote show the ambiguity of the simple word "here."

"youarehere.jpg." Case Western Reserve University. Web. 11 Jul 2011. <http://blog.case.edu/webdev/2008/02/26/youarehere.jpg>.

"Here." Merriam-Webster. Merrriam-Webster, Inc, n.d. Web. 11 Jul 2011. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/here>.