Leah Lawrence April 18, 2013 Period 3 A Lesson Before Dying

In the novel "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest J. Gaines, the main character Grant deals with the constant battle between his life's desires and his obligations. Grant battling with himself and what his family expects of him, helps develop the meaning of the work as a whole as a development of manhood. Grant, throughout the novel, consistently expressed his desire to leave his hometown with his girlfriend Vivian, but doesn't get the chance to. Nothing is physically holding him back, but he still stays in town throughout the whole novel even though he is miserable. At the bar with Grant, Vivian says to him, "You know the answer yourself, Grant. You love them more than you hate this place" (Gaines 94). Not only does Vivian see that Grant has a desire to leave but is incapable, the author tries to emphasize to the readers that Grant is trapped between running away and sticking around with his family as well. His family depends on him and expects him to be the man in the family. The people in Grant's community, especially his family expect very much of him seeing that he is the only man in the household. Miss Emma and Grant's Aunt both encourage Grant to stick around and be a role model to the lost soul of the incarcerated character Jefferson. "She looked up at me. She was ready to cry. And I wished I were somewhere else,"(Garnes 72). Grant says this about Miss Emma when she has a meltdown after she sees how lost Jefferson was in a jail cell. By Grant revealing that he wished he were somewhere else, shows that he doesn't want to be there but has no

Leah Lawrence April 18, 2013 Period 3

choice because he has an obligation to be there for his family being that he is the only man that can play that role. The town itself gives him too much power and through the novel, the readers remain on their toes on how he handles all that power. The conflict within Grant is between his own desires and his obligation. The constant battles within himself, had him struggle with determine his manhood. One of the recurring themes in the novel is manhood and the main character Grant struggles with this because he's too busy fighting battles within himself.