In Gaines' novel A Lesson Before Dying, the reader is presented with a group of black people, dealing with racism, and struggling to help each other find peace. Throughout the book, the main character, Grant, has been assigned the duty of raising the self-esteem of a young man named Jefferson, who has been sentenced to death. It is the wish of Jefferson's grandmother Emma that Jefferson should die as a man. In the end, Grant does succeed in helping Jefferson feel like a man, and some will consider him a hero for doing this. After reflecting on the story, and looking at Grant's own definition of a hero, it becomes apparent that this novel is full of heroes.

In the book, Grant describes a hero in this manner:

A hero is someone who does something for other people.

He does something that other men don't and can't do.

He is different from other men. He is above other men.

No matter who those other men are, the hero, no matter

who he is, is above them (A Lesson Before Dying 193).

Grant gave this definition of a hero to Jefferson, while trying to make Jefferson feel like more of a man. Jefferson, a young black man with little education, has been sentenced to death for the murder

After reading the novel, it becomes apparent that heroism is one of the main themes of the story. While dealing with other topics such as racism, and unjust treatment, one is able to realize that it took strong individuals to deal with these types of obstacles during that time. Though at first it may seem that Jefferson is the only hero to speak of, when one delves a little deeper, it is easy to see that Grant and Miss Emma deserve the title also.

Grant Wiggins is the schoolteacher of black children in the small town of Bayonne. Much against his will, he takes on the task of making Jefferson a man before he dies. Grant has troubles of his own, he feels trapped in his small town, and believes that the black men in his city only have three choices, to die violently, be brought down to the level of beasts, or to run (Reading Group Center 3). Even though he feels this way, he does not run away. He does eventually come to realize that it is his duty to make Jefferson die as a man, and not an animal. This shows heroism in itself. Only a hero has it in him to make someone else a hero. Jefferson thinks of himself as an animal, and often talks about how he is not human. "'I'm a old hog,' he said. 'Youmans don't stay in no stall like this. I'm a old hog they fattening up to kill.'aE? (A Lesson Before Dying 83). Grant actually changes Jefferson's mentality, and Jefferson truly does believe himself to be a man before he dies. Through doing this Grant carries out the actions which hero would carry out. He does something that no one else could have done. Even the Reverend Ambrose was not able to bring Jefferson back to manhood, and while Grant is considered below the reverend, he still is above him in a way, because of this near impossible feat he has accomplished. He by no doubt has lived up to his own definition.

Now we will examine the heroism of the novel. In my opinion, the first hero we meet is Jefferson's grandmother Emma. This elderly black woman is

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Approximate Word count = 1335
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)