The common humanity that is in us all : Ernest Gaines's a lesson before dying

Abstract EN

From his earliest works to his most recent novel, A Lesson before Dying, the afro–American writer, Ernest Gaines consistently writes about people who face the problems of being denied humanity, dignity and self–worth.

In A Lesson before Dying, Gaines picks up this theme as the narrator of the story, Grant Wiggins, takes on the responsibility of convincing Jefferson, a non-educated labourer who has been sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit, that he is a “man” and not a hog as his white attorney declared.

The paper illustrates one man's struggle to gain recognition of his humanity and how this recognition will initiate a change in the community.