Racism in Louisiana, USA: In the fictional location of the event, Bayonne in the state of Louisiana, slave labour has always been performed by blacks who were subservient to their white, racist and ignorant masters. Although workers on the sugar cane plantation in the 1940s were paid for their efforts, it was more like a pittance and there were dimensions between the earnings of whites and blacks. This social injustice extended into all areas of life and did not even stop at justice. It was only for this reason that blacks were paraded like cattle and in no way received the treatment in court that they would have been entitled to as human beings. Jefferson's trial serves as an example, representative of countless other corrupt and unjust trial, of how black people were treated by the justice system at the time. The fact that Jefferson's trial was not humane becomes apparent at the latest when he is called a hog by his defence lawyer. The worst thing, however, is that Jefferson embraces this undignified label and thus, the racists almost manage to break the will and pride of this innocent man. From this psychological perspective, one understands that Jefferson's only relative, Miss Emma, urges Grant, the primary school teacher, to restore a minimum of human decency to the prisoner so that he can at least die with dignity. Jefferson's initial reaction to the unjust treatment he receives shows how deeply the injustice has embedded in people's minds and how even black people, as victims of racism, have internalised the racist ideas of which they are victims. Skin colour also plays a decisive role in the black community. For example, Grant often says that the lighter-skinned blacks of the mulatto tribe think they are better than blacks like him. It is a fact that mulattos, like blacks, were persecuted, discriminated against and marginalised in Louisiana at the time. But although they too are coloured, according to Grant, they seem to think they are worth more. This is why, in his eyes, they do not distinguish greatly from the oppressive rule of whites. Grant, who himself as a commissioner of education does not see them in a position to take action against the apparent injustice of racism, sees in Jefferson the possibility of opposing the arrogant and condescending whites in the court. The primary school teacher offers Jefferson the satisfaction of walking down the aisle with his head held high as a condemned prisoner, demonstrating that no judicial power, no matter how unjust, can break his inner will
Faith and personal growth: Grant, the protagonist in A lesson before dying, may not have any religious faith, but he still attaches a higher meaning to things. With his rejection of the church, however, the primary school teacher puts himself at a moral disadvantage, or at least that is how Reverend Ambrose sees it, who repeatedly tries to win Grant over to the church. In the reverends opinion, faith is always equal with belief in God but Grant, despite his rejection of religion, has an inner strength that gives him hope, meaning and significance like faith in God, only without the church. Grant is so moved by Jefferson's fate, that he develops a belief that the inner dignity and strength of the human being is inviolable. It is precisely this conviction that he acquires through Jefferson and which he can return to him when the prisoner needs it most. At the same time, faith in God is also a value that brings black people together again as a community, enables a sense of belonging. So faith can also be used as an example that in religion, there is no exclusion, no racism, and therefore, a black man can pray in church side by side with a white governor without fear of being cast out. Human equality is thus, shown in common faith and together, black people can oppose united racism. Grant, however, cannot bring himself to believe in a God who accepts the execution of Jefferson and the suffering of so many other black innocents
Motives
Title: The entire work is based on the statement of the title, namely that Grant teaches the prisoner Jefferson something before he dies. But every student is only as good as his teacher. Because of this, both teacher and student learn equally in this case. To teach Jefferson to be a true man with inner strength, Grant, the primary school teacher, must first understand for himself what it means to be a man. As Grant teaches the inmate to depart from life with inner sincerity, he grows simultaneously and spiritually. By engaging with Jefferson, the teacher confronts his insecurities and allows closeness and trust where he never thought it possible. In the end, what matters is that Jefferson did not die in vain - teacher Grant's life is significantly changed by the prisoner's death, leading Grant to lose his former cowardice and move through life more courageously and uprightly himself
Radio: With the radio, Grant gives Jefferson a gift that gives him back a piece of his human dignity. Previously, Jefferson owned nothing, and through Grant, he experiences again what it feels like to have something that belongs to him alone. Even though the prisoner is about to be executed, he does not value the radio he brought with him any less. The certainty of owning something before he dies restores some human dignity to Jefferson, for which he is deeply grateful to Grant. The radio combines two values that are indispensable to every human being but were taken away from Jefferson in the course of his trial: Humanity and worth. Through the radio, Jefferson feels that he means something to Grant, and besides, Jefferson himself feels something like joy again through the music. While Grant senses exactly what value the radio represents to Jefferson, Reverend Ambrose has neither empathy nor empathy enough and believes that God would be able to help the prisoner in his situation better than a radio. Fortunately for Jefferson, Grant understands the importance of the radio object and refuses to give it to Reverend Ambrose
Diary: Jefferson's diary gives the reader a glimpse into the prisoner's inner life. In it, Jefferson writes down how he feels he is treated by society, but at the same time, the book also contains the reasons that lead to Jefferson's transformation into a stronger person. It seems incomprehensible to the young man why he was hardly noticed when he was alive and now, shortly before his death, so many people come by and take an interest in him. In his diary, Jefferson records that he believes in the strength and cohesion of the black population. He considers them to be very important when it comes to looking to the future with hope. The fact that, for example, Paul follows up on Jefferson's wish that Grant receives his diary after his death fills the young man with confidence that black and white people will be able to take a step towards each other in the future
Hog: What happens in Jefferson's trial on the part of his defence lawyer is called reverse psychology. Jefferson's defence lawyer tries to tell the jury that Jefferson is not even a man and, that therefore it is not even worth killing him. He goes even further and compares Jefferson's worth to that of a hog, thereby lowering himself to a degrading level. According to the defence lawyer, Jefferson is not even entitled to punishment, because as a hog he is merely an animal and thus cannot receive a death sentence. The reason why the metaphor of the hog plays such a prominent role in the town of Bayonne can be traced back to the fact that the town's most important industries used to be cement works, a sawmill and a slaughterhouse for pigs. The fact, that Jefferson is sentenced to death is not a tragedy for most of the inhabitants of Bayonne, but an everyday news item. The worst is when Jefferson calls himself a hog and, when Grant visits him, asks for maize because it is considered pig food because this shows how Jefferson has already adapted himself as an animal too
