AAAAEver since the beginning of A Lesson Before Dying, we’ve been talking about how Grant isn’t an adult but really an overgrown adolescent. He’s snappy, lazy, and kind of self centered. The only thing that separates him from the kids he teaches is the fact that he holds the stick. However, as he talks to Jefferson more and more often, I’ve noticed a change in his behavior; he’s beginning to understand that change is possible in an unchanging world.
Up until this point, Grant has been a firm believer in the idea that everything is a cycle and nothing really matters. You can see this in the way he treats God. Yes, there is God but there isn’t a heaven. So, while God did create everything and is responsible for everyone’s lives, all that disappears after you die because there is no heaven and thus everything was for nothing. Using this reasoning, it would make sense for Grant to want to escape. If nothing good can be found here, then why not try somewhere else?
This is characteristic of the everyday teen; they just want to get away. Yet, it’s the fact that someone as young as Jefferson is able to adjust to a horrible situation in such mature way that finally opens Grant’s eyes. Yes, life isn’t great and things are still terrible for the African American community, but Jefferson is willing to stand tall and claim his humanity to prove that nothing can tear him down, not even the system. When Jefferson finally admits “Yes, I am youman”, Grant can clearly see the transformation in Jefferson.
In seeing this change, Grant’s goal to run away and escape seems so pathetic. Here is this boy, coming to terms with his death and embracing the role of a hero for his community. Grant, who previously thought this change would be impossible, is a firsthand witness to this transformation. I think by seeing this example, Grant can hopefully become the responsible and mature adult that his community and his students desperately need.