Religious Symbolism in A Lesson Before Dying

            As we near the end of A Lesson Before Dying, the religious symbolism has become more and more clear to me. It’s something that we’ve only brushed up against in class but is something that I think is pretty prominent in the book. There’s the obvious religious influence of Reverend Ambrose and the importance that religion has in the community. While Grant does not partake in religion, he makes it clear to the reader the role it plays to the adults in the community. Miss Emma brings in the minister to talk to Jefferson as well as Grant because she does worry about Jefferson. Jefferson’s reaction to Reverend Ambrose is a little bit harder to determine though. Perhaps he is less responsive to the reverend simply because he is not able to relate and connect to him the way that Grant eventually is able to. Yet what I am more interested in is the symbol of Jefferson in the same position as Jesus.

            It was briefly mentioned in discussion that Jefferson could stand in as  Jesus figure as his death is a sacrifice for the black community, as a way of symbolizing the break in the cycle that Grant hopes for him to achieve. The timing of the events especially adds to this parallel. Grant makes a point to clearly discuss how the date of Jefferson’s execution was specifically chosen based on the timing of Lent and Easter. Not only does this continue to show example of the importance of religion within the community, but also attaches the idea of Jesus’ sacrifice to Jefferson’s death. One scene that particularly stood out to me was Jefferson’s speech about how he was being asked to carry everyone’s crosses but no one has ever carried his own, “Me to take the cross. Your cross, nannan’s cross, my own cross” (224). Of course the metaphor of the cross to bear has become more common place and secular in recent years but it has an inherent religious meaning. Add all of his mentions of carrying the cross to the fact that Grant mentions that that day is Good Friday, the day Jesus died, and the fact that exactly two weeks from that, Jefferson will also die. There is also something to be said about the apparent innocence in both of these figures.

            However, another connection that I made was that, if Jefferson is Jesus, does that make Paul Pontius Pilate? We’ve discussed the fact that despite his efforts not to, Paul has become attached to Jefferson and doesn’t want to have to see him die. Yet because of his job, Paul will have to take part in Jefferson’s execution. This is similar to Pilate’s role as a judge in the crucifixion of Jesus. He attempts to stand up for Jesus, pointing out to the crowd that there is little evidence for anything that Jesus has done wrong, yet the crowd insists that Jesus is the one to deserve the punishment, and he is forced to go through with it to please the crowd. In this case, I look at the white citizens as the crowd calling for Jesus’ death. Paul is pressured into compliance the same way that Pilate is.