Who is learning a lesson? When one begins reading the novel, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, the reader can predict that the person who will learn a lesson before dying will be Jefferson because he is the one convicted of a robbery and murder he did not commit, and is destined for the death penalty. Jefferson is called a pig by his lawyer and he actually takes it to heart. The reader can see how this affected Jefferson from Grant's first visits, and Jefferson begins to eat on all fours like an animal. Furthermore, Jefferson's lawyer's defense is that Jefferson is too stupid and naive to commit a murder like this. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Tante Lou and Miss Emma want Grant to start visiting Jefferson to try to help teach Jefferson that he is a man and that he must die with dignity, not like a pig. By continuing to read the novel the reader can also deduce that Jefferson will learn a lesson due to Grant's numerous visits. These visits by Grant take a huge role in this novel as the plot and themes revolve around these visits. Although Grant is the one who is trying to teach Jefferson a valuable lesson, I believe it is Grant who learns the lesson about his attitude and emotions. First of all, Grant is a very self-centered person; everyone in his community believes in religion and a god, while Grant does not. He is very troubled by his surroundings and the white people who make his community the way it is. At the beginning of the novel, Grant is very stubborn and hesitant to visit Jefferson in prison. When Tante Lou and Miss Emma ask him to start visiting Jefferson, he is not at all amused by the idea and doesn't want to be the one who has to visit Jefferson in prison. Grant didn't even go to court. because he knew what the outcome would be and he has a strange feeling about going to see Jefferson. I believe Grant doesn't want to visit Jefferson because he doesn't want to face his own fears, the fear of guilt and the fear of failure. The reader can see Grant's fear of guilt after his first visit to Jefferson; Grant tells Miss Emma and Tante Lou that he no longer wants to visit Jefferson because Jefferson is trying to make Grant feel guilty. Grant's fear of failure may also arise after his first couple visits to Jefferson. When Grants sees the mental state Jefferson is in and how hard society has hit him, Grant may fear that there is no hope for Jefferson. After reading that Jefferson was on the floor eating food like a pig, I don't think there is hope for this man either. As the novel continues and Grant visits Jefferson more and more, the reader can see how Grant has changed after each visit. Grant finally touches Jefferson's inner feeling when Grant tells him that it would make his godmother really happy if he ate her food. . Jefferson eats a little, and by the time of Grant's next visit, he had noticed an improvement in Jefferson. He is moved by how he is affecting Jefferson, but Grant is still struggling to rid Jefferson of the feelings; so Grant buys Jefferson a radio and a notebook and tells Jefferson to write down everything he hears. In one scene in the novel, the reader can see how Grant has changed when he begins to cry in front of his students. At the beginning of the novel, Grant is seen yelling at his students and mirrors the way the whites in his community treat the blacks in the community. Also at the beginning of the novel, the reader can see how Grant is an angry man and doesn't like helping his students,.