Ernest J. Gaines’ novel, A Lesson Before Dying, focuses on men and particularly the “lesson” about how to be a man. The novel follows Grant Wiggins’ progress after being tasked with the job to teach a young man, Jefferson, before he is unjustly killed for a crime he did not commit. Although the main characters are men, it is, in fact, the women in their lives who have the most significant influence over their decisions and actions. Miss Emma, Tante Lou, Vivian, and Edna Guidry are truly the backbones of this novel, and they each provided clarity, guidance, and opportunities for both Jefferson and Grant to become men.
Miss Emma is the first female character readers are introduced to in the novel. She is Jefferson’s godmother and has had a huge impact on his life. Grant Wiggins, the novel’s narrator, does not refer to either of Jefferson’s parents being in the picture, which makes the readers assume that Miss Emma raised him. Jefferson’s lawyer confirmed that when he said to the jury, “What you see there [Miss Emma] has been everything to him- mama, grandmother, godmother- everything.” (Gaines 8) Her primary role is as a “provider of physical nourishment in the form of food she makes for Jefferson.” (Vancil 81) Miss Emma was the one who had asked Grant Wiggins to teach her godson how to “be a man.” Although he was resistant at first, Grant respected Miss Emma, which is why he even considers going to jail and teaching Jefferson. Miss Emma’s determination and compassion is what influences the whole story and the events in it.
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Miss Emma’s motivation to want Jefferson to “become a man” is quite clear and understandable. During Jefferson’s trial in Chapter 1, his lawyer’s defense was that he was stupid and a hog so he would not be able to commit such a crime. His lawyer specifically questioned the jury, “But would you call this [Jefferson] a man? Do you see anyone here who can plan a murder, a robbery? A cornered animal to strike quickly out of fear, a trait inherited from his ancestors in the deepest jungle of blackest Africa- yes, yes, that he can do”. (7) Jefferson is called a “hog” in the novel because “the socially dominant system of inscription, white-supremacy patriarchy, deems him so.” (Vancil 76) The “dehumanizing use of the word ‘hog’” (Lockhart 83) gravely insulted Miss Emma, but it ultimately sparked something within her. She knew she wanted, even if it was for a matter of hours or days, to die knowing that Jefferson walked like a man to his death sentence.
Tante Lou is another woman who had a strong influence on multiple main characters of this book. She is Grant Wiggins’ aunt and the woman who raised him. The readers know from the story that Grant is in contact with his parents and knows who and where they are, but he chooses to continue living with his aunt. Grant and his Tante Lou have a tumultuous relationship but nothing out of the ordinary of a relationship between a mother and her adult son. This whole venture of teaching Jefferson how to be a man seems to cause a strain in their relationship as Tante Lou is very adamant that Grant should go to the jail and be Jefferson’s teacher. Grant’s struggle with it all was the fact that he feels humiliated by the white men who enabled him to visit Jefferson, and he feels that Tante Lou has a hand in that. In Chapter 10 he says to her:
“Everything you [Tante Lou] sent me to school for, you’re stripping me of it…The humiliation I had to go through, going into that man’s kitchen. The hours I had to wait while they ate and drank and socialized before they would even see me… All the things you wanted me to escape by going to school. Years ago, Professor Antoine told me that if I stayed here, they were going to break me down to the nigger I was born to be. But he didn’t tell me that my aunt would help them do it.” (79)
Despite a strained relationship with Grant Wiggins, Tante Lou is still able to get her way through her influence over Miss Emma. Although she is a few years younger, Tante Lou is one of Miss Emma’s closest friends. Miss Emma and Tante Lou are very similar, and both of their ways are “rural, contentedly self-sacrificing, and communal.” (Lockhart 83) The two of them practically teamed up together to get Grant to visit and teach Jefferson. For around half of the book, we see Miss Emma acting like someone who did not long for Grant to see Jefferson. She constantly repeats, “he don’t have to go” while Tante Lou would apply pressure and persist that Grant is to go down to the jail. Tante Lou’s influence over Miss Emma was one of the thing’s that got Grant down to the jail.
The woman who undoubtedly has the most influence over Grant Wiggins is Vivian Baptiste. Vivian is Grant’s girlfriend and the person he shares, opens up to, and trusts the most. They have a kind of forbidden romance as Vivian is still legally married and has two children with her estranged husband. Grant is very dependent on Vivian, and she provides him with stability, comfort, and love. But Vivian also keeps Grant very grounded and reminds him of the reality of their circumstances. On a few occasions, Grant would go visit her and suggest that they leave and run away together, and she would bring him back to reality telling him “because the whole thing is just too crazy.” (29). She is a gentle, but firm, guiding hand and is always ready to listen and help Grant. Vivian’s undying support and dedication to Grant encouraged him to keep going even when he was not getting the results he wanted.
The readers were first introduced to Vivian in the fourth chapter when Grant went up to visit her after being asked to teach Jefferson how to be a man. Grant immediately went to Vivian and explained everything that had happened and his doubts about whether he would go to jail. Vivian’s simple answer is, “I want you to go up there…If they say yes, I want you to go for me.” (32) This quote alone immediately proves the influence that Vivian has. She is able to convince him to go to the jail and embark on this journey with just two simple words, “for me.” Their interactions with each other demonstrate a healthy relationship where Grant “views her as his equal.” (Lockhart 83)
Edna Guidry has a very small part in the book and rarely appears, but the positive consequences of her actions are felt throughout all the pages. Edna is the wife of the sheriff and she plays a key role in convincing him to allow some privileges for Jefferson. She is a very compassionate woman who truly does not like what had happened to Jefferson. She told Grant upon their first encounter after the news: “Grant, please tell Emma how sorry I am about Jefferson. I would do it myself, but I’m just too broken up over this matter.” (45) Emma and Tante Lou had both worked for Edna and her family at one point, so, to a certain extent, she felt like she owed them. Edna was able to convince her husband to allow Grant to visit Jefferson and later on in the book she was able to persuade the sheriff to permit Jefferson to meet his family and Grant in the dayroom. Edna was a pure example of the way to treat someone with compassion no matter the consequences and how far she had to go.
These four women “carried” the men throughout ‘A Lesson Before Dying’. There would have been absolutely no story to tell without their influence and strength imprinted on the book’s pages. Even when their characters weren’t physically present, readers could feel the product of their guiding hands in the men. Grant would not have been able to teach Jefferson how to be a man” if it wasn’t for Miss Emma and Tante Lou constantly persisting for Grant to go to the jail, Vivian’s encouragement and quiet support, and Edna Guidry’s compassion that led to doors being opened. In conclusion, a woman’s influence should always be welcomed.
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