Of Racism In Ernest J. Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying
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Racism was a tremendous problem in the 1940’s. Racism and segregation of colored and whites is a current problem that has not yet been completely solved. In the novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, the setting is based on racism and segregation of African Americans in Louisiana during the time of the Jim Crow Laws in the 1940’s.
Throughout the novel A Lesson Before Dying the whites showed very little respect for the blacks. For example, the blacks had to go to the basement for water or even to go to the bathroom. “She never got up once to get water or go to the bathroom down in the basement.” (3). Since the blacks had to go all the way in a basement to use the bathroom is an obvious example of a sign of no respect, going to the bathroom is part of…show more content… The toilets for the blacks also were not very sanitary. “This toilet was for colored people who came to the courthouse, and it was down in the basement. You entered it from the courthouse parking lot. I had gone in there once or twice myself, but it was always filthy, and like everyone I knew, I tried to avoid going down there. But that was the only place to go. The toilets inside were for whites only.”(69). The jury also showed an example of having no respect for blacks when they called Jefferson a hog. Jefferson is a young black man that has been accused that he, and two other black men had gone into a store with intentions of robbing and killing an old man. He is then called a hog by the judge and sentenced to death by electrocution. When Jefferson is called a hog he starts to believe he really is one, and it is Grant Wiggin’s responsibility to help him “die like a man”. They weren’t showing respect for Jefferson when it was clear that he was innocent. “The defense argued that Jefferson was innocent from all charges except being at the wrong place at the wrong time.”(7). The jury knew that he was innocent but simply did not care because during this time period the