Rating: 
Summary: hypocrisy runs rampant
Review: In A Lesson Before Dying, the central theme was racism and its effects on each the characters. Obviously, the character most affected by racism was Jefferson. Grant was also affected even though he considered himself on the same intellectual level as the whites in his community. Despite his education and manners, he is still forced to feel inferior to the white characters in the novel. This causes a great deal of resentment and affects his actions and beliefs. The theme of hypocrisy is present throughout the novel and is caused by racism and its effects.
The first example hypocrisy we are introduced to is the "fair" justice system of the 1940's. How can it be fair if there is a black man on trail for murder against twelve white jury members? His judge, the jury, his lawyer, and even the man who set his date for execution were white. His lawyer was perhaps the most hypocritical of them all. While he should've been saving Jefferson, he incidentally sealed his fate by saying that he was not "capable of planning a robbery or murder." He then reduced him to the level of a hog, insinuating that he has no brain or soul. Because of white man's firm belief in superiority, there was no way Jefferson could come out of the trial innocent. The fair justice system was by no means fair, controlled only by the white man and neglecting other races.
However, the white men weren't the only hypocrites. The mulattos were also racist and hypocritical. Grant encountered this many times throughout the novel. His former teacher, Matthew Antoine, was mulatto and showed hypocrisy by saying that he was "superior to any man blacker" than he was. Yet he was complaining about how whites were so racist towards everyone else. How could he expect better behavior from others when he himself was the same? There were many other examples of how the mulattos thought they were superior to blacks. Not only were the mulattos hypocritical, there are examples of black hypocrites also.
The narrator, Grant Wiggins, showed hypocrisy also by wanting to leave Bayonne and everyone in it. He was an educated man and wanted to be respected by everyone. He felt he was as smart as the white man and definitely smarter than the blacks that worked in the fields. He saw himself on another level as them and wanted to be treated that way. In turn, he ends up looking down upon his own race and thinks that he is superior to them. He also says over and over that he wants to leave Bayonne and see what the rest of the world has to offer. He left once but then returned, and never left again. He is torn between what he is and what he thinks he should become. He continues to maintain his arrogant nature in order to feel superior, because he knows that he will never get the respect that he thinks he deserves.
Hypocrisy rooted in racism was present throughout the novel. Those behaviors were not exclusive to one race of people; the whites, mulattos, and blacks all experienced it. This just shows how alike humans are and that racism is an empty belief. They were all fighting the same battles and were too blinded by their beliefs to see it. Everyone in the novel had insecurities and used racism as a way to shield it.
Rating:
Summary: ODE TO GAINES
Review: A Lesson Before Dying was more like a given chance to see how court cases were handled back in the freedom world. I think that this book clearly gives an overview of how difficult it was to prove an innoncent person guilty. Jefferson was wrongly accused of killing someone that he didn't even know of. Because of Jefferson's skin color, he could have been charged with all the charges that man could think of. This part in the book shows the reader how racism was implemented back in the days. Gaines really made the reader have sympatation for Jefferson because he was about to be put to death for something that he didn't even do. Even though Jefferson was given all the help from man, I think that he wasn't helped fairly enough, but you can't implement today's society to the past. The book might have had some parts that i found very disliking but overall it I think that A Lesson Before Dying Should be read by all individuals because it is an impressing novel. ODE To Gaines.
Rating: 
Summary: Commentary on A Lesson Before Dying
Review: The book was very interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in African American Culture in the 1940's. The part that interest me the most was when Jefferson's Nannan cooked a meal for him, and they got to sit down at the table and eat with Jefferson. At first Jefferson just stared at his plate and would not eat, because he was depressed. This made his nannan very sad. Grant pulled him to the side and had a talk with him,and he sat back down and began to eat his food. Thus, making his nannan happy after all there struggles.
Rating: 
Summary: A confrontation of equality
Review: Of all the powerful messages portrayed in Ernest Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying, perhaps the most universally influential was the humanisticly equal description of the towns Christmas play. In his description, Gaines drops the ever-present racial "titles" and instead describes the people...as people. I for one found this message to be quite powerful; due to the cruciality of its being there. By giving the description of an all-black, racially discriminated community gathering and doing the basic joys in life that make us human, Gaines, one of countless times, confronts the negative stereotypes that are still all too present in our current society.
The message projected from Gaines, though written as a witness to more ignorant times, can and should be used to help us with the fallacies in thought many of us are still quite capable of having. Though not the only example of the deservance of human equality expressed in the novel, the warm description of the Christmas play (minus the looming fate of Jefferson) and the gathering of what ultimately are just people, spreads quite clearly the message that since no one group of people are able to enjoy life more than another, no one group should have the right to enjoy life more than another. To be put more clearly, no particular type of man is more deserving of happiness than another.
I believe this message, though written in the confrontation of racism, far transcends the purpose for which it seems to have been created. By expressing the message so justly, Gaines has seemingly created a personal standard for man kind in its entirety. Its almost as though Gaines is saying, that despite race, wealth, or nationality, no one group is more deserving of happiness than another. This is a powerful message. One could almost call it, "universal."
Rating:
Summary: The Ups & Down Points
Review: In A Lesson Before Dying the story had its ups and down point that made you want to stop read and points that made you want to continue. I continued to read because I wanted to know was Reverend Ambrose and Grant going to agree on anything and get along with each other. Reverend Ambrose was not jealous of Grant to me but at some points in the book it seemed as if he were. He didn't want Grant to let his education interfere with Jefferson's salvation. It seemed as if Reverend Ambrose was trying to please more than just God but he wanted to please Miss Emma too.
Rating:
Summary: Grant vs Ambrose
Review: "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest Gaines was not exactly my cup of tea, but I did take a certain likeing to this book. The most intriguing part was when the roles were reversed between Grant an Reverend Ambrose. Rev. Ambrose finally breaks it down to Grant by making him realize just what exactly the Rev. was trying to do. Making Grant see that sometimes you have to do things you don't want just to improve the situation. I feel this is something Grant never expected Rev. Ambrose to tell him. This confrintation between the two made Grant respect the Rev. more than in the beginning.Also, this made Ambrose not seem so arrogant and self rightous. Thus, makeing the Rev and Grant more likable characters.
Rating:
Summary: A lesson before dying
Review: A lesson before dying is a great book. It takes place in a small cajun town, back in the 1940's. A man named Jefferson is accused of murder and is found guilty. Jefferson is put on death row and considered a hog by many. Grant Wiggins is asked to teach Jefferson and turn him into a man. Grants strugles with Jefferson but he eventually does the imposible and makes a man out of Jefferson. The story is turly touching and I encourage everyone to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Paul and Grant
Review: This book is a great example of how things used to be. It's a good book to read if you're a part of this generation. The relationship between Paul, the white security guard at the prison that Jefferson what sent to, and Grant, I thought, is very special. With the time period and how things were back then, that was very unique. Paul was very passionate about the Jefferson ordeal, but he knew there was nothing he could do about. For that reason, he did whatever he could to be of any help to Jefferson and/or Grant. This showed great character.
Rating:
Summary: Rich Plot, Lacking Character Depth
Review: I think that overall the general theme of A Lesson Before Dying is deep and has many possibilities however there are several key flaws with the book. I find that the main character, Grant is not someone I can respect or even like. In addition, the other characters are lacking that depth which could give them multi faceted existences. The book is slow and monotonous and even vague at times. I could not say I enjoyed the book or the writer's style and yet the book does get 3 stars because the plot is compelling and the author is able to convey some of his ideas in an effective manner. Bottom Line
-Don't buy it, check it out of the library and read it, buy it afterwards if you liked it.
Rating:
Summary: A true Lesson
Review: As a college freshman reading "A Lesson Before Dying" for the first time, I was at times bored with the story, and at other times excited and wanting to know more. Having grown up in south Louisiana, I felt very familiar with the characters, and know firsthand some of their experiences. (A side note- If you're not from Louisiana, don't attempt to read the story out loud. Chances are, you won't be able to pronounce the words correctly.Louisiana has it's own special language.) The main character Grant Wiggins, not only helps Jefferson, a condemned man on death row, to see himself as a man, but Grant also begins to see what is truly important in his life. The spiteful comment made in the first chapter of " I would rather put a hog in the electric chair as this"- reffering to Jefferson- made by Jefferson's own defence attorney, gives Jefferson the mindset that he is not a man, and will never be one again. It is Grant's task, as set by Miss Emma, Jefferson's godmother and best friend of Grant's own Tante Lou, to teach Jefferson that he is not a hog, but a true man going to his death with honor. This task creates a struggle with in Grant, as he can not see that anything he would do could change the way Jefferson thinks of himself, or the way that anyone thinks of Jefferson. These two characters must challenge one another before either can help the other. Ernest Gaines' book, A Lesson Before Dying, is a testimony of truth and the powerful influence that man holds over each other and themselves.
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