Are There Any Heroes in a Lesson Before Dying?

Are there any heroes in A Lesson Before Dying?

Grant – Is able to make Jefferson die a man and not a hog

Jefferson – He is able to believe in himself “he was the strongest man in that crowded room”

Paul – Managed to go against the stereotypes of the time and become friends with Grant “Allow me to be your friend”

Contention: That there are 3 main heroes in A Lesson Before Dying and each are a different type of hero.

The text A Lesson Before Dying is set in Southern America and is based around racism to the African-Americans who live there. In the text A Lesson Before Dying there are many portrayals of heroes. Throughout the text each hero has a connection to the other heroes and helps them with their problems. The three main heroes in the text are Grant, Jefferson and Paul

Grant, the protagonist of the novel, is a hero because he spends all his time and effort on Jefferson trying to make him see he is not a ‘hog’ but a man who can walk on his two feet. In the beginning of the novel when Miss Emma and Tante Lou try to convince Grant to visit Jefferson in prison to try and make Jefferson die a man and not a “hog.” As Grant helps Jefferson realise he is a man, both the characters realise they are not in a cycle of black oppression and their actions can change things around them. An example of this is when Grant goes to buy a radio for Jefferson, originally the shop owner didn’t want to sell the radio to Grant, but after arguing with the owner for a few minutes Grant got his way and had a minor victory for the black population in his town. This makes Grant a hero because he realises he change peoples opinions and help the black population and not run away from his problems.

Jefferson is one the main protagonists in Ernest Gaines’s novel. In the first chapter of the novel Jefferson is called a “hog” by his lawyer and he believes this until Grant persuaded him to see he was a real person. As the novel progresses we see Jefferson write down his...