Character:

1. Character: • Insider Edition! Gabriella Conklin Brody Thomas Marianne Quijano D.J. Borque

2. Introduction Character is a very important component of a novel or story. The character is best used to help the reader relate to the story thus allowing us to delve deeper into the book. There are dynamic characters, which are characters that change throughout the course of the story, and there are static characters, which do not change throughout the story but are still very important. In “Character: Insider Edition” we dive deeper into the characters from A Lesson Before Dying.

3. Grant (beginning) (end) Grant is trying his best to teach Jefferson to become a man, all the while he is realizing that running away will not change or fix anything, it will only make things worse. Grant becomes friends with Paul which changes his whole view on the whites. He observes that not all white people are the same toward black people. Paul shows that he respects Grant as every human has the right to be respected. Grant is very successful in helping Jefferson realize his dignity. In the mean time Grant learns that he himself is not a man. In the beginning Grant is very close minded and pessimistic about the white people in Louisiana where he comes from. Grant really struggles with being an educated black man in the south. He finds himself holding back his knowledge seeing that it was inappropriate for a black man to be higher than a white man. Grant wishes so much that he could just run away from his whole life in Louisiana, but he becomes burdened with the task of teaching a boy how to become a man.

4. VIVIAN Vivian is a beautiful half bread woman that Grant is completely in love with. Vivian and Grant desire to marry each other, but are unable to because she is in the process of getting a divorce from her first husband whom she has children with. Vivian acts as Grant’s guardian angel in a way. She helps keep him in line. She helps encourage him to do the right thing even when he does not really want to. Vivian keeps Grant grounded and focused on helping Jefferson. Vivian is angry with some of the choices Grant has made, but she is proud that he is helping Jefferson despite his great displeasure. Vivian loves Grant very much and knows that Grant is on his way to becoming the man he is supposed to be.

5. JEFFERSON • (end) (beginning) After a few bad visits, Grant begins to break through to Jefferson. Jefferson begins to talk, begins to eat, begins to interact and act as a human again. Grant gives Jefferson a journal in which Jefferson expresses his thoughts and his emotions. Jefferson writes what is going through his mind during the last few days he is alive. Jefferson accepts the fact that he is not a hog but indeed a human. Jefferson becomes a man and he goes to the chair. Jefferson is put on trial for a crime that he did not commit, and he is sentenced to death. He is very convinced that he is a hog instead of a man that is worthy of respect. While confined in his cell waiting for the execution day, he does not say much or do much. Jefferson spends most of his time thinking or looking out his window on sunshiny days. Jefferson allows himself to believe that he is a hog; thus inviting others to believe the same about him.

6. MISS EMMA holds great hope that Jefferson will gain his dignity, and walk to the chair a man. She pleads with the authorities in charge to allow Grant to speak with Jefferson. Miss Emma visits him for the first time and is disappointed in the way that Jefferson is acting. After visiting a few times and realizing that Jefferson made little to no progress in becoming a man she becomes angry. Her anger and disappointment turns into a physical illness. Miss Emma is eventually placed in bed and is not allowed to go visit Jefferson for the sake of her health. She prays and prays that Jefferson is able to walk to the chair as a man rather than a hog. She is able to see Jefferson for the last time before the execution, and she is surprised that he has made incredible progress. She feels somewhat satisfied and is allowing herself to let go. Miss Emma knows that he will walk to the chair as a man.

7. Tante Lou Tante Lou is best friends with Miss Emma; these two women are practically always together. Tante Lou sticks with Miss Emma through everything; she does a lot to aid Miss Emma in her time of need. Tante Lou even tells Grant that he is going to do Miss Emma a favor and teach Jefferson how to be a man before he dies. Tante Lou is sort of pushy and stubborn, but she also seems to be a woman of great faith and virtue as well as a woman with a loving heart willing to care for those in need. Her and Grant appear to argue a lot and have trouble getting along, but it is easy to tell that they both love each other very much. Tante Lou raised Grant, and Tante Lou is the mean reason why Grant can not bring himself to leave, just run away.

8. REVEREND AMBROSE Reverend Ambrose seems to be a very static character in the novel; he does not change much. His strict views on how life should be lived and what life should be devoted to does not change even though the execution of Jefferson and the fate of his soul loom ahead. Reverend believes that the Word of God is the sole savior for Jefferson’s soul now and nothing else. The Reverend is angry with Grant for encouraging Jefferson to make becoming a man his number one goal rather than becoming closer to God. Reverend confronts Grant about his relationship with God, and the Reverend insists that Grant teach Jefferson the importance of relying on God even though Grants relationship with God is basically nonexistent. The Reverend attends the execution for Grant because Grant was not man enough.

9. PAUL At the very first Paul does not really know what to expect of the whole relationship between Jefferson and Grant, so he just carries out his duty as he would in any other case. He observes that these people, Miss Emma, Tante Lou, Reverend, Grant and Jefferson, can be trusted and respected just as Paul was amongst his fellow neighbors. Paul becomes friends with Grant, and is really supportive of Grant’s teachings with Jefferson. Paul does quite a few favors for Grant and Jefferson. When it comes to the day of Jefferson’s execution, Paul is a bit uneasy about it all. After all is said and done he decides that he would have rather not witnessed the execution. Paul is sent to deliver the news of Jefferson’s death to Grant, and at this point in the novel the friendship between the three is very evident.