Pages 3 - 32
Chapters 1 - 4
The main character in A Lesson Before Dying, a teacher, Grant is being ordered by his aunt to teach a family friend in jail, that he is a human being, not a hog as he has been told, before his death. He believes it will do no good, and Jefferson is as good as dead anyways so it shouldn't matter what he believes he is. Grant doesn’t want to do it. On page 29 he says "I am tired of feeling committed," insinuating that he is sick of being told what to do. He seems burdened by his obligations, but instead of saying no and leaving, he stays there and does what he is told. It is almost like he has a connection with the place that he cannot escape, so he is essentially stuck there. Maybe the connection he feels is a familial one to his aunt. Or perhaps to the children he teaches, that he feels the need to educate so they don't end up like Jefferson.
Maybe it's life there he's stuck in, meaning the segregation that occurs there and how he cannot escape the life and situation he was born into. When speaking to a white man he had to call him 'sir' even though he has a college degree and is not much younger. That must be aggravating. Grant is having to downplay his intelligence to fit in to what is expected of him. I’m assuming this will connect to the theme later.
So what can Jefferson learn from Grant? Maybe the whole point is for Grant to teach Jefferson how to just open himself up to others. Jefferson seems very closed off, but Grant is mow open to the idea of friendship and relationships, so maybe they will become friends. Also Grant is expected to teach Jefferson basically to accept himself, but first Grant must accept himself. Maybe Grant will learn a lesson during these meetings too.
Maybe it's life there he's stuck in, meaning the segregation that occurs there and how he cannot escape the life and situation he was born into. When speaking to a white man he had to call him 'sir' even though he has a college degree and is not much younger. That must be aggravating. Grant is having to downplay his intelligence to fit in to what is expected of him. I’m assuming this will connect to the theme later.
So what can Jefferson learn from Grant? Maybe the whole point is for Grant to teach Jefferson how to just open himself up to others. Jefferson seems very closed off, but Grant is mow open to the idea of friendship and relationships, so maybe they will become friends. Also Grant is expected to teach Jefferson basically to accept himself, but first Grant must accept himself. Maybe Grant will learn a lesson during these meetings too.
oh my, it's so official looking.....MAKE IT GO AWAY...it's too academic--I can't handle it!
ReplyDeleteHm ponder this matter--if Grant is educated and has to call the white man "sir" and is unhappy and feels trapped roaming around, how will Jefferson benefit from being educated and physically trapped--are they not slightly similar? Maybe they are completely different in their approaches to life but are in the same boat--or am I just making stuff up? What keeps him tied to this place? With a degree couldn't he go anywhere? How does the physical setting affect both these men? And God...where are the women? Do they engage this place and these people differently?
:D To get people to think I may ask absurd things or thing that are right on the money. Think of it as me being your Cheshire Cat.