"Burning Clean"

Where should I even begin with Ernest Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying? Honestly, I don't know. As I said in the previous post though, this blog will contain my thoughts, that upon further discussion and thought, will aid me in my graduate studies. So, I think I'll just jot down a few of my observations and thoughts.

One of the major ideas that has really struck me with Gaines' work, this includes Of Love and Dust and some of the stories in Bloodline. In A Lesson Before Dying (ALBD), Grant, from the beginning, has lost his faith in God. Granted this faith is in the "white God," as he says. Even though, he has turned his back on the faith of his Aunt, the woman who raised him when his parents left. This, of course, creates the interesting dynamic when it comes to religion throughout the course of ALBD. On the one hand, Grant has lost faith in God, and everything else for that matter, even himself. On the other hand, he used to have some semblance of faith, coming from his relatives and the other elders in the quarter. What does this actually mean?

For one, it comes across as a conflict between the older and younger generation. The older, raised in slavery grasped onto Christianity and intermingled it with African traditions. It provides them with a feeling of hope, that something better awaits them on the other side of Jordan. Grant sees this in Reverend Ambrose. Even though Grant cannot believe, he understands the importance. When Ambrose tries to convince Grant to talk to Jefferson about his soul, they have this exchange:

"I want him in heaven as much as you do. Reverend"
"A place you can't believe in?"
"No, I don't believe in it, Reverend."
"And how can you tell him to believe in it?"
"I'll never tell him not to believe in it." (217)

Grant sees the importance of these beliefs. They are what keeps the people going. It's hard for me to say definitively if Grant, at the end of the novel, regains his faith. To me, he doesn't. However, he begins to have faith in other things: his future, his role in life, and the small things that he can do to make the lives of those around him better.

Religion, in this context, could also be seen as a negative influence on the community surrounding Grant and Jefferson. They have seen and encountered numerous things that have caused them to loose their faith. Jefferson, in his notebook, tells us about Samson asking God why his wife had to die and others lived. He tells us about Boo running through the streets drunk and cursing God. The promise of and education that will benefit the mass majority in the African American community has failed. How can these individuals believe when they have been through so much, including being arrested and called "a hog?"

One final note on religion leads me to my next observation. While listening to the 'Termination songs one Sunday, Grant talks about his loss of faith. He says, "I did not have time for anything else [except studying]" (102). Education has usurped religion as a means of salvation, but it hasn't produced any fruit, in Grant's mind, either.

As a teacher, Grant feels that he has not, and cannot, make a difference. He looks forward to the day when he can leave with Vivian and never look back. All of his former classmates, and possibly some of his students, either moved North, were arrested, or worse. He received an education, at a university, but it still has not done anything for him. The superintendent of schools even views the Grant's school as only being useful for one thing, producing reputable individuals who can work the fields. When he comes to inspect the school, for his yearly visit, he examines the children like slaves. When he leaves, he reminds Grant to stress hygiene and nutrition.

My final observation could lead to an essay that encompasses other works. It involves the definition of a hero. Jefferson, in the end, epitomizes a hero for the community, a tangible expression of an idea shared by a group of individuals. This up close, personal hero contrasts with the other heroes that Grant hears discussed and brings into the story. One night, at the Rainbow Club, he overhears some older men joking and talking about Jackie Robinson's exploits. Jackie Robinson, while a hero, has no personal connection with the people in the story. In the same way, Grant relates the story of Joe Louis. After his first defeat to Schmeling, the whole quarter mourned as if he had died. Upon his second fight, and win, against Schmeling, the quarter erupted. He even recounts the story of a boy in Florida being dragged to the electric chair and pleading for Joe Louis to save him.

Ultimately, while these men are heroes and carry ideas and hopes of people with them, they do not have the same impact as individuals who have a personal stake in each others lives. Grant, while not trying to be a hero, recognizes this with his Aunt and with Emma. He treats them respectfully, even when he doesn't want to, and they know he doesn't. He knows what they have been through, to a certain extent and sees the hurt that Emma is going through now. He even sees why Jefferson needs to be a hero, not just for Emma, but for everyone. "A hero," according to Grant, "is someone who does something for other people" (191). Grant knows that Miss Emma needs Jefferson to walk to the chair a man, and Grant knows that he needs Jefferson to do the same thing. Jefferson's ultimate act of walking to the chair, and "never saying a mumbling word," with his shoulders back, constitutes a hero. He proved he was a man.

Of course, there are more points that I could talk about, but those are just a few that really caught my attention. Read Stavesacre's "Burning Clean" for an idea of what this novel conveys to me. Next, I will begin Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World.

The next post will contain some family and music stories.