Free Essays - Jefferson’s Character in A Lesson Before Dying :: Lesson Before Dying Essays

Jeffersons Character A Lesson Before dying(p) takes place in a small Louisiana Cajun community in the late1940s. In the novel, Jefferson, a young black man, is an unwitting companionship to a liquor store shootout in which ternary men are killed being the but survivor, he is convicted of a gain andsentenced to death. Jeffersons personality and physical appearance in the novel provides non onlya family to the courtroom and his cell, but also affiliated to the geographical circumstance of the book. In the initial setting of the novel, Jefferson sits in a courtroom located in ruralLouisiana, which is filled with anger , tension, isolation, and tranquillity from the people in theroom. This setting of the book supports Jeffersons personality in chapter 9 when Jeffersonscharacter is introduced. Jeffersons cell could be considered the foster setting or Jeffersonssetting in the book. Jeffersons relationship to the courtroom (initial setting) supports Jeffersonspersona lity in the prison. He is isolated bonny like in the courtroom. There was an empty cellbetween Jefferson and the quietus of the prisoners (Gaines 71). Jeffersons cell was not only isolatedlike a courtroom in rural Louisiana, but quiet. Jeffersons been quiet . . . He didnt answer (71).Due to Jeffersons isolation and quietness, he has strengthened anger inside. An anger which had beenbuilding up since the courtroom conviction. Nothing acceptt matter,he said, looking up at the ceiling. (73) The first setting of the novel is similar to Jeffersons cell setting. The three settings thecourtroom , spatial relation of the town, and prison all have similarities to Jeffersons character traits. Theme Jeffersons character represents race the best. The opportunity for equalrepresentation for the African the Statesns in the book is shown through Jefferson. There is aconstant comparison and aspect of blacks vs. whites in the novel. To show too much intelligencewould have been a n bruise to them. (47) The respect of race varied in the book, but at the send awayJeffersons character prevailed. The author summons the reader to confront the stallion bitterhistory of black people in the South and America as a whole. The theme of race ties into the novelwhen the characters begin to curb the value of their lives in a time and place in which thoselives plainly count for nothing. Jeffersons relationship to the theme in the novel only occurs