A Lesson Before Dying Character Analysis

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You are not good enough. You do not deserve to be here. You are a nobody. Hearing those phrases may cause one to bring themselves down or, more positively, to be resilient. Can being resilient from a terrible event make you a hero though to either yourself or others? In the novel, A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest J. Gaines, Grant Wiggins comes around to what and who a hero really is because of an innocent man behind bars named, Jefferson. Mr Wiggins is able to alter Jefferson’s mind about what he truly is, a “hog” or a man. Through fearless diction depicts a heroic tone towards helping one regain their dignity and their identity.
A filthy animal that rolls around on the ground, a hog. That is what Jefferson called himself because that was the name he was referred to in the trial he was found guilty in. His godmother, Miss Emma, asks …show more content…
He writes about how Grant was important to him. “i just feel like tellin you i like you” (Gaines 228). Grant goes on to further explain that he has never felt like anyone has been that close to him. Once again showing that Grant was able to open Jefferson up and now Jefferson can convey his emotion. Jefferson writes, “ i cry cause you been so good to me mr wiggin and nobody aint never been that good to me an make me think im somebody” (Gaines 232). Right there, Jefferson flat out says that he now thinks of himself as a somebody, he knows he is worth something to at least someone. Grant was a hero to Jefferson for showing him that he had significance. Grant loved Jefferson because he was willing to put all of his knowledge to work, to show one man that he was, indeed, a man.
A hero is someone who makes a difference in someone else’s life out of love. Grant Wiggins was a hero to Jefferson by changing his views of how Jefferson saw himself. A hero, Grant, helped a young innocent man regain his dignity. A hero shows you that you are important. You have an identity. You have
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