A Lesson Before Dying: an Examination of a Prodigious Storyteller Essay

A good novel entertains the reader. An excellent novel entertains and enlightens the reader. Set in a Cajun community in the late 1940s, A Lesson forwards decease is a heart-warming storey of in estimableice, acceptance and redemption. A Lesson before Dying by Earnest J. Gaines is an excellent novel. Not only does Gaines inform the reader, he entertains result his effective storytelling. His use of figureism, voice and stylistic devices keeps the reader enticed to the very sound page. One sort Gaines is an effective storyteller is his use of symbolism. The first symbol to present itself in A Lesson Before Dying is the snaffle. During trial for robbery and first degree murder, Jeffersons attorney attempts to get him off by dehu domainizing him and denouncing his intelligence, claiming he is incapable of murder because he doesnt have a modicum of intelligence (Gaines 7). He even goes so far as to equation Jefferson to a hog Why, I would nevertheless as soon tell a hog in th e electric chair as this (Gaines 8).This command drives the central conflict. The hog, a filthy animal, represents the way the whites treated and regarded the blacks as dirty, brainless and inferior animals, whose sole purpose was to work for them. The second symbol to turn out in the novel is food. In A Lesson Before Dying, Tante Lou uses food as a means of affection. When deed over tells her he is going into town to eat, he says Nothing could have hurt her more when I said I was not going to eat her food (Gaines 24). Miss Emma brings Jefferson his favourite foods composition in prison, to try and comfort him and order him he is loved. When Jefferson refuses to eat, Miss Emma takes it straight off to heart and is greatly distressed. Grant even tells Jefferson to eat for Miss Emma, to show that he loves her. In addition to symbolizing love, food also symbolizes Jeffersons humanity in the novel. Jefferson, taking being c eithered a hog as a great emotional blow, refuses to eat , claiming Thats for youmans (Gaines 83).It is only when Jefferson reconnects with his humanity that he agrees to eat. The net symbol in A Lesson Before Dying is the notebook. afterwards many attempts to reach Jeffersonfrom Grant, Miss Emma and Reverend Amborse, Grant gives him a notebook to write his thoughts in. In this notebook, Jefferson reflects upon life and death. He writes to Grant about all the injustices he has facedsaying it look like the lord just work for wite folks (Gaines 227) and the his impending fate. The notebook represents Jeffersons acceptance of his below the belt life and his newfound sense of self-worth. In addition, the notebook also shows the nonplus which formed between Grant and Jefferson. By writing to Grant, he at long last accepted Grants guidance and showed that Grant made a difference in his short life. As seen by means of these exemplars, Gaines uses many symbols to in effect tell his story. The second reason Gaines is an effective story-tel ler, is his utilization of voice.Most of a Lesson Before Dying is conveyed through stream of consciousness. Narrated by Grant Wiggins, a lot of the novel is dedicated to Grants internal monologue What am I doing? Am I reaching them at all? They are acting exactly as the old hands did earlier. They are fifty year younger, maybe more, but doing the same thing those old men who never attended school a day in their lives. Is it just a vicious circle? Am I doing anything? (Gaines 62) another(prenominal) way Gaines utilizes voice is through his use of Cajun dialect.Rather than having the dialogue written in proper English form, Gaines presents it exactly how the characters speak I didnt examine no hog, and I acquiret want no hog to go set in that chair. I want a man to set in that chair, Mr. Henri (Gaines 20). The final form of voice used is informal voice. whole of Chapter 29 is told through Jeffersons diary, directed to Grant, to convey Jeffersons last days on earth. For these r easons, Gaines is an effective storyteller because he uses eclectic and creative voice techniques to give the novel a feeling authenticity.The final technique Grant uses to effectively tell the story of A Lesson Before Dying, is stylistic devices. The first device used is repetition. For example, the first time Grant goes to visit Jefferson he remarks You know what Im talking about, dont you? his eyes said. They were big brown eyes, the whites too reddish (Gaines 73) and then, he again says His eyes mocked me. They were big brown eyes, the whites too reddish (Gaines 74). Another device used is charactonym.The character Paul is a perfect example of Gaines use of charactonym. Being one of the first white men in the story to accept the black people, it could be said that he is so named after Paul the Apostle, who was one of the most influential early Christian missionaries (Livingstone, and Cross 1840). The final stylistic device used paradox. For example, when Grant describes Jeffers ons trial, he says I was not there, yet I was there (Gaines 1). All in all, Gaines uses many efficient stylistic devices to tell his story in an effective manner.Gaines ability to effectively tell a storythrough symbolism, voice and other stylistic devices, has created a highly stimulating and travel read. A Lesson Before Dying is a emotional and enlightening tale that is bound to touch all those who read it.Works CitedGaines, Ernest J. A Lesson Before Dying. New York Random House, 1994. Livingstone, E. A., and F.L. Cross. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 3rd ed, Rev. Oxford, England Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.