Character Of Paul In A Lesson Before Dying

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In Ernest Gaines’s novel A Lesson Before Dying there are many morals that the writer is trying to express to the readers by means of his characters. Some believe that the most important lesson to learn before dying is freedom. However, the most important lesson in A lesson before Dying is accepting yourself and is shown through the characters; Paul, Jefferson, and Grant.
While it is often seen that Paul Bonin’s character is only in the novel to promote the idea of equality and to challenge the typical white authority figure, Paul has a much bigger role when it comes to acceptance in the novel. Firstly, Paul is an inspiring force for Jefferson as he is one of the only guards within the prison who treats him with respect pushing Jefferson to …show more content…
He makes it very obvious that he is upset with the little progress that has been made when it comes to slavery and, while blacks are considered free, are not quite so. Grant makes several references to his former teacher, Matthew Antoine, who he sees as a figure he does not want to end up like reminiscing, “years ago, Professor Antoine told me that if I stayed here, they were going to break me down to the n---- I was born to be,” (Gaines 64). However, nearing the ending of the novel Grant starts to make a turnaround and accepts many aspects of his life. Firstly, while early on his only wish is to flee with Vivian, his girlfriend, to another state, saying, ““You want to leave from here tonight?” I asked her. “You want to go home and pack your clothes and get the children and leave from here tonight?” (Gaines 25). As the novel progresses Grant becomes more understanding of Vivian’s position and that their life together will most likely remain in the Quarter. Grant can accept this as he has learned from Jefferson that life can end at any moment and that he wants to spend his life with Vivian even if that means living in the Quarter from now on. Grant expresses this stating, “I went to the front door and jerked it open, and there was the screen. And through the screen I could see outside into the darkness, and I didn’t want to go out there. There was nothing outside this house that I cared for. Not school, not home, not my aunt, not the quarter, not anything else in the world,” (Gaines
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