Ernest J. Gaines’ novel A Lesson Before Dying and Theme of Racism
Have you ever been ashamed, humiliated, or mocked as a result of your belonging to a different nation, or merely because of your skin color? The belief that someone is of a lower class as a result of their race is what defines racism. Racism has existed throughout human history. The true experience of racism is distinctly illustrated in Ernest J. Gaines’ novel, A Lesson Before Dying, where a young African American, Jefferson, is caught in the middle of a liquor shootout and as the only survivor, is tried for the murder of a white male, Alcee Gropé. It appears that Jefferson was wrongfully accused and convicted for a robbery and the murder of Alcee.
During Jefferson’s trial, his attorney, who also happens to be a white male, refers to him as a hog (a domesticated pig, especially one over 120 pounds and reared for slaughter). The hog symbolizes animality and is a term commonly used by white people evoking how African Americans are regarded as filthy animals due to discrimination. This depicts the power established by white people in the 1940s, which is one of the greatest power symbols in the novel. During the trial, Jefferson’s defense attorney, Grant, argues that the jury should show Jefferson mercy because killing Jefferson would be like killing a hog as if to say that the hog holds more value than an African American male. Eventually, the judge presiding over Jefferson’s trial turns against Jefferson and rules that he should be sentenced to death by electrocution. This scenario in itself illustrates the various ways racism exists and affects individuals, especially those of color, leaving the African Americans at this time terrified of the possibility of going through the same thing.
The term Racism goes beyond the belief of the dominance of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against other people because they are of a different race or ethnicity. While reading the novel, we notice that there are numerous examples of power symbolism. While we would all agree that racism is immoral and has no place in modern society, that was not the case in the U.S. in the 1940s. At the time, African Americans were treated as second-class citizens. Being treated as a second-class citizen consists of a person who is systematically discriminated against. Furthermore, it was made near-impossible for African Americans to vote, and they were discriminated against in many ways including through education, society, and employment with little to no rights in society as a whole. There were also many derogatory terms used to put African Americans down in many ways. While it’s true that an African American in the era of slavery would never have received a trial at all due to racism in the community with white people, Jefferson’s murder trial and how he was accused and convicted of the robbery and murder of a white male was definitely not a fair and impartial one. The all-white jury did not accept Jefferson’s defense that he did not commit the crime for no proper reason other than they did not take the trial of an African American seriously. The jury treated Jefferson as guilty until proven innocent. This novel has many relations to the history of the K.K.K in many ways on how the African Americans were treated.
While reading the novel, it was very hard to miss one of the greatest power symbols in the novel, which is the reference of a hog and how it relates to the power of white people. An important quote by Jefferson reads as follows: “ I had come through that back door against my will, and it seemed that he and the sheriff were doing everything they could to humiliate me even more by making me wait on them.” This shows that from the time Jefferson had entered the door, he was constantly put down, by them simply using their words and actions to make Jefferson feel ashamed. The symbol of the hog in A Lesson Before Dying has its roots in history and connects us to many issues of the past. During slavery, black people were treated as possessions, in the same way, that livestock was looked upon as possessions and were treated by making inequitable decisions towards them in society compared to white people, because of their skin color. The Three-Fifths Compromise dictated that, for tax purposes, a black person was worth three-fifths of a white person. What Jefferson and his community are dealing with in the novel isn't one attorney's poor choice of words; it's a history of subjugation and black people being considered as a lower species than white people. Showing much discrimination, he interrogates Jefferson with the use of derogatory terms, which then affects Jefferson’s behaviors in his cell. Basically, the hog symbolizes all the horrible, awful, messed-up thinking that went into slavery in the first place, and then persisted in the form of Jim Crow laws and racism. When Grant visits Jefferson in his cell, he is unsure of what to say. He then continues to ask Jefferson if he is hungry and Jefferson refuses to respond at first showing that he is unwillingly trying to speak. Jefferson then asks if Grant brought any corn, saying that hogs eat corn. Grinning angrily, Jefferson acts like a hog, kneeling down and sticking his head in the bag of food Grant brought because he believed that he was a hog, due to everyone saying he was. “ I'm gonna show you how an old hog eat,' he said. He knelt down on the floor and put his head inside the bag and started eating, without using his hands. He even sounded like a hog.” The conception of Jefferson getting called a hog really affected the way he perceived himself and made him believe that all he was, was a worthless hog. In the end, the humiliation Jefferson had to go through because of the attorney's poor use of words, put him through struggle and hardship giving him no hope for the future.
Another example of power symbolism is the windows in Jefferson’s cell. Upon seeing Jefferson's cell for the first time, Grant Wiggins, a teacher who is asked to help Jefferson face his execution like a man, immediately notices the small window. It gives a view of a sunlit sycamore tree but does not show “any other buildings or the ground.” The sycamore tree is important in the novel because it was a way for Jefferson to escape from reality when people visited him in his cell. Even with its bars, the window holds a perfect little representation of nature. It shows us that when Jefferson looks outside his window, he can see that nature exists alongside the cruelty of what he is undergoing and the injustice of human relations. However, is resistant to its taint. “I gazed out the window at the yellow leaves on the sycamore tree. The leaves were still as if they were painted there. Between the leaves, I could see bits of pale - blue sky.” The window symbolizes how it is possible to rise above the despair of feeling incarcerated and find a liberating peace and inner freedom. Just as the sycamore tree remained unchanged, it is possible to heal, blossom, and to change, even when locked alone in a cell.
Lastly, an example of the power of symbolism in the novel includes the church which relates us to power or religion. The church symbolizes the hope that society will change. It gives us hope for everyone to feel welcomed in our world and all hopes that people will rise from discrimination. Miss Emma, Tante Lou, and Reverend Ambrose believe that God helps them get through everything they need. They use this belief to comfort themselves in the face of prejudice and injustice. In the reverend’s eyes, when Grant unconditionally rejects God and the church, he rejects the possibility that anything can be done to improve society. They teach us that believing in God will guide you through hardships and face struggles and that there is something to look forward to.
In conclusion, there are many symbols of power in the novel that have connections to racism. Racism is immoral and should not have any place in our society. People should not discriminate over things they can't control. Every individual should be treated just as any other human and should be able to live their lives without being ashamed of who they are and where they are from. The thoughts that Jefferson had while going through the situation, made him severely upset and not want to be himself. His behavior began to conform to what he was constantly being labeled as.
