In Ernest J. Gaines' novel, A Lesson Before Dying, a young African-American, Jefferson, is caught in the middle of a drunken shootout and, as as the only survivor, is found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. During Jefferson's trial, his lawyer calls him a pig in an attempt to persuade the jury that he could not have planned a crime like this. Having heard this, Jefferson's godmother, Miss Emma, ​​calls on the local school teacher, Grant Wiggins, to visit Jefferson in prison and prove to the community, and more importantly to white people, that Jefferson is indeed a man, not a pig. Throughout the book, Grant often wonders why he is helping Miss Emma; he wonders whether he should stay and help Miss Emma and Jefferson, or escape with his girlfriend, Vivian, from the racist town in which he lives. These two inner conflicts that Grant faces throughout the book highlight the central theme of responsibility when placed. in injustice. Near the beginning of the novel, when Miss Emma asks Grant for help, he is reluctant to do so, claiming that he is college educated. ...