Christic figure Essay

The character of Jefferson in Ernest Gaines’ A Lesson before Dying represents a figure upon whom the ridicule and disgraceful lot of his is cast. As a slow witted man, his handicap is treated as typical of his entire race, and this disability as compared to other men is used as a symbol of the inferiority of his whole race. Throughout his experience as an accused and a convict, he comes to realize that his impending death will be of great significance to his race. He realizes that however he chooses to handle this death, whether with dignity or dishonor, will serve to confer this quality upon his entire race. This places Jefferson in a situation that is akin to that in which Christ finds himself during his lifetime, and Jefferson might therefore be considered a Christic figure in the novel. Despite his humanity, Jefferson lays claim to having another nature. When described by his lawyer as being no more able to plot the crime than a hog might have been, Jefferson latches on to this idea and considers himself as not fully human but having the nature of a hog. This connects him to Christ as he too denied the human nature, claiming a more divine one as he walked on earth. Furthermore, just as Jefferson’s â€Å"hog-like† nature precluded his ability to plot and execute the heinous crime of which he is accused and convicted, so was Christ’s divine nature one that prevented him from having the ability to commit the sins of humanity for which he was convicted. Therefore, the connection between Jefferson and Christ might already be seen to be a strong one as they both lay claim to natures that are non-human and that do not admit of the wrongs for which they are falsely accused. Throughout the novel, Jefferson can be seen to reclaim his humanity, after being considered a hog—being called one in the courtroom—and then taking on the nature of the hog in his actions and through his own confessions. He begins to change from his usual dim-wittedness into a more conscious and cognitive being as he is encouraged to think and write the thoughts down in a journal. The reader begins to see his humanity shine through his debased aspect, very much like the humanity of Christ is evident despite his divine nature. Yet, though Jefferson’s humanity represents an elevation (and Christ’s is usually considered a demotion from his deity), Christ’s humanity, like Jefferson’s, might also be seen in a manner of elevation, the way he was elevated on the Cross. Throughout Jefferson’s time in prison, many more people came to visit him—and the visits increased as he neared his execution. This demonstrates his elevation to a place of note and celebrity, akin to that place Christ now has in the world because of his death. Another aspect of his character that connects him to Christ is Jefferson’s admission that he would like to be given a vat of ice-cream. This occurrence, fist of all, points toward the extent to which Jefferson has been denied the pleasures of humanity, as he admits that he has never been granted more than a thimble full of this substance. This might be compared to the way in which Christ denies himself many worldly pleasures in order to maintain his disconnection from the sinful human nature. Secondly, this request might also be compared to one of Christ’s last requests, where on the Cross he asks for some water to quench his thirst. Jefferson’s thirst might here be considered his lifelong deprival of this treat, and in this way both Christ and Jefferson seek to satisfy their thirst before dying. The writer of the novel places Jefferson in the situation of being a representative of his race. As a black man living in the south, Jefferson’s wrongful imprisonment demonstrates the lot of his fellow black persons, who lived in a perpetual state of imprisonment within their black skins and within a system that grants them few freedoms because of the color of this skin. The human race connects him to Christ in that Christ too was human but lay claim to a widely different nature. The Christic comparison continues with Grant’s attitude in Jefferson’s presence, in which at one time Grant repents of his former attitude of reluctance to aid the condition of his race. He also mentions a feeling of being lost, and this too is confessed in the presence of Jefferson. This can be seen as a comparison of Jefferson to Christ, as Christ’s divinity endows him with the power to cause humans to feel their need for a savior—in the same way that Grant feels that Jefferson has the ability to lead him toward salvation. Christ is also the main historical figure that has claimed the ability to elicit repentance, just as Grant has felt the need to repent in the presence of Jefferson. Furthermore, the death which Jefferson is to face is one that is to represent the punishment of his entire black race, and this represents a close comparison to the destiny of Christ, whose death was a representation of the punishment of the sins committed by the entire human race.