Ernest J. Gaines, "Tell them I am a man ", Chapter IX - A review

Résumé du document

This document is an extract of various chapters of the novel A lesson before dying by Ernest J. Gaines. We describe a scene from the novel in chapter VI in this document. Grant the narrator had met the sheriff Sam Guidry at Pichot's house in order to know if he would be given the right to visit Jefferson in jail with Miss Emma. This way the sheriff gave the authorization to the narrator to meet Jefferson after a couple of weeks. Later, in the chapter IX, Grant was going to visit Jefferson with Miss Emma at jail for the first time, so he left school at one thirty to take her into Bayonne. After about an hour they arrived at the sheriff's office. Miss Emma had brought some food and new clothes for Jefferson. The deputy went through both the basket of food and the handbag of clothes, and also asked Grant to empty his pockets before entering the cellblock. After that, the deputy brought them to Jefferson's cell.

Extraits

[...] Indeed the deputy who took Grant and Miss Emma to Jefferson's cell was kind. It is the first character (with of Edna Guidry) who did not act with a very racist and impious way. He allowed her to let the food to Jefferson and accepted to give the rest to the other prisoners. He also felt sympathy toward her because he made Grant understand that she needed to be standby. Maybe this man represents a kind of hope for Jefferson and all the black people in this jail. [...]

[...] When Miss Emma told him that she brought him food, hoping that it would get his attention, Jefferson did not answer to her and continued to look up at the ceiling. He did it most of the time during the meeting, it is written about seven times: looked up at the ceiling” and p. 71: was staring at the ceiling”). Even if Miss Emma talked to him, he did not answer to her, remained quiet” (p. 72). He seemed to be in a hypnosis state because even thought he was looking up at the ceiling, wasn't seeing the ceiling” (p. in fact he was staring into emptiness. [...]

[...] But when she has to leave Jefferson's cell, she could not help crying, she burst into tears because Jefferson did not event answered to her goodbye. She was so hurt and desperate because of her godson conduct that she implored god's help. But nevertheless she was still a generous and an attentive woman because she did not only think about Jefferson but also to all the others prisoners because she asked the deputy to give them the rest of the food. [...]

[...] 71) when they came up may show that he was desperate, he had neither the envy nor the motivation to do whatsoever. He did not even look at them didn't look at us once” p. 71) he was still lying on his bunk and staring at the ceiling as if he were unconscious, in a hypnosis state. Despite Miss Emma's attempts to talk to him, he just laid there in silence. His living condition in the cell seemed to be bothered, also inhuman because he did have neither a toilet seat nor toilet paper toilet without seat or toilet paper” p. [...]

[...] The first time he spoke was when Miss Emma held him the food and he only answered to her: don't matter” (p. then he added “nothing don't matter”. That is what people say when they are daunted and disgusted with life. He still was looking up at the ceiling but looking into emptiness and he was repeating don't matter”. But after that he became again quiet for a long time, until he asked to Miss Emma: “when they go'n do it? [...]