What justice would there be to take this life? Justice, gentlemen? Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this. In Chapter 1, Jefferson’s defense attorney asks the jury to spare -Jefferson’s life by implying it would be cruel to kill a man no more intelligent or moral than a hog.
What does the hog symbolize in A Lesson Before Dying?
The hog symbolizes how the African-American characters are regarded as dirty animals. Grant works to transform the public’s opinion of Jefferson, encouraging people to think of the man as a human being, rather than a lowly animal.
What page was Jefferson called a hog in A Lesson Before Dying?
I’m a old hog they fattening up to kill’” (Gaines Page 83). Jefferson started to think of himself as no better than a pig too. He was locked up, called a hog, and was waiting for when he would die.
What crime did Jefferson allegedly commit in A Lesson Before Dying?
Set in the fictional community of Bayonne, Louisiana, in the late 1940s, A Lesson Before Dying tells the story of Jefferson, a twenty-one-year-old uneducated black field worker wrongfully accused and convicted of the robbery and murder of a white man, and sentenced to death by electrocution.
WHO calls Jefferson a hog?
The attorney
The attorney paints a picture of Jefferson that Grant, Emma, and Reverend Ambrose spend the remainder of the novel refuting: he calls Jefferson an animal and a “hog,” and tries to convince the jury to spare his life on the grounds that it’s immoral to kill a mere animal.
What did they call the electric chair in A Lesson Before Dying?
The portable electric chair (“Gruesome Gerty“) is brought to town and townspeople react to its presence. Final preparations are made for Jefferson’s execution.
How have the words of the Attorney affected Jefferson?
Miss Emma realizes the impact the attorney’s words have on Jefferson and makes it her business to ensure Jefferson dies like a man, not like an animal. When Jefferson decides to die with dignity, he shakes off the jeering stereotypes pinned on him by whites.
Why did they call Jefferson a hog?
Basically, the hog symbolizes all the freaking 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. But Jefferson ultimately rises above thinking of himself as a hog.
What does Jefferson call himself?
When he roots about in his food and calls himself a hog, he wordlessly shows Grant his anger and shame at being called a hog, and asks Grant for help in digging himself out of the stereotype he has come to embody.
How is Jefferson isolated?
Jefferson’s relationship to the courtroom (initial setting) supports Jefferson’s personality in the prison. He is isolated just like in the courtroom. “ There was an empty cell between Jefferson and the rest of the prisoners” (Gaines 71).
What is symbolic about going through the back door?
When Grant must enter Pichot’s house through the back door, it is a symbolic reminder of the days of slavery, when slaves could never approach the front door.
Why does Vivian come to Grant’s house?
After some time, they return home. Vivian says that she hopes Grant’s family will like her. She comes from a light-skinned mulatto community called Free LaCove, but she married a very dark-skinned man whom she met while attending Xavier University. She kept the marriage secret because she knew her family would object.
What is Vivian’s job Who does she work with?
Lesson Summary
Vivian is also a teacher and a faithful Catholic. She encourages and supports Grant in his visits with Jefferson, even when those visits affect their relationship. Vivian is still married but is trying to get a divorce and custody of her two children.
What does Vivian whisper to Miss Emma?
Vivian whispers something into Miss Emma’s ear and Emma looks pleased. At the Rainbow Club, Grant and Vivian drink brandy, and he tells her why he thinks his aunt and Miss Emma ask so much of him. He says they want to take pride in him, just as Miss Emma wants to take pride in Jefferson.
Why is Grant’s relationship with Vivian important to him?
Grant’s relationship with Vivian appears to be rather one-sided. Grant expects her to be there for him, but he thinks of her only in terms of his wants and needs. Vivian is there to satisfy his need for sex and conversation. She is there to support him and to nurse his wounds.
Why can’t Grant and Vivian get married?
Though schoolteachers Grant and Vivian have a romantic relationship, they can’t get married because Vivian is still married to another man.
How is Dr Joseph portrayed in A Lesson Before Dying?
Dr. Joseph isn’t exactly part of the law, but he fits into this category because he represents the government and comes from outside to impose his rules on the quarter. He’s the school superintendent and complains about the hassle of checking the plantation school’s progress once a year.
What is the tie between Miss Emma and Henri?
What is the tie between Miss Emma and Henri Pichot? How does this tie figure in to the ladies’ scheme? Miss Emma worked for Pichot on his plantation in his house; she wanted to ask him a favor since she’s done so much for him and his family.
