One question pertaining to A Lesson Before Dying that I found particularly intriguing was
brought up in one of the student-led discussions: Is Jefferson a Christ-figure?
The comparison seemed absurd at first, comparing an unknown fictional character
named Jefferson to Jesus, who Christians believe to be the son of God. However,
as I reflected on the question, I realized that although there are obviously
major differences, Jefferson has some similarities to a Christ-figure in the
context of his small community.
The
definition of a Christ-figure that I will use is the following: an innocent
person who lays down his or her life as a sacrifice to save a people group from
something. Although this in no way completely sums up what Christians believe
Jesus accomplished through His life, I believe that this is the definition that
is best for comparison with Jefferson. Keep in mind that because
the definition of a Christ-figure is dependent on the beliefs of Christians, a
discussion based on this topic necessitates a Christian worldview. The
definition of a Christ-figure comes from Jesus’ life. Jesus was completely
innocent of all crimes, but was wrongly accused and unjustly sentenced to death
by crucifixion. However He chose to lay down His life, because Christians
believe that He came to earth for the purpose of dying,
resurrecting, and thus redeeming His people. Jesus sacrificed His life to break
the cycle and power of sin that enslaved His people.
The first criterion for being a
Christ-figure is being an innocent person, someone who has done no wrong. Jefferson,
as far as we know, is wrongly accused of planned theft and murder and was
unjustly sentenced to execution. Although we are not sure what actually
happened, I believe Jefferson’s testimony that he is innocent from what was
charged against him because his testimony is more detailed and believable, and
there is no reason presented as to why we should doubt Jefferson’s testimony. Jefferson
is not completely without flaw, since even in his testimony he did try to steal
money, but for the most part he does fit the definition of a Christ-figure as
he is mostly considered innocent.
The second
criterion for being a Christ-figure is giving up your life as a sacrifice to
save your people. Jefferson fits this part of the
definition as he sacrifices his life for the black community. However,
Jefferson was not always so willing to use his life as a sacrifice for others.
Jefferson was sulking and bitter for the majority of his time in jail. This is
understandable, since he was wrongly accused of crimes and had to die at a
young age. Jefferson was constantly thinking about himself and didn’t care
about others, even those that love him the most (Miss Emma). He lashed out and
did things that hurt others, such as refusing to talk to Miss Emma and eating
like a hog. On top of this, Jefferson only had two choices: die as a “hog” or
die as a man. Jefferson did not really choose to sacrifice his life out of his
own free will, because he was going to die anyway. Having been sentenced to
execution, Jefferson’s death was inevitable, and he simply took the situation
that he was in and made the best of it by dying as a man. Despite all of this,
we all know that Jefferson eventually dies as a man, and thus sacrifices his
life to help the black community.
The final criterion for being a
Christ-figure is that you must sacrifice your life to
save a people group from something. Jefferson sacrificed his life for
the black community, to help break the cycle of racism and slavery in the South.
This is the reason why he had to die as a man: to disprove the racist white
ideology of the South and to empower fellow black people. Although Jefferson’s
“journey” throughout this book was partly involuntary and flawed, in the end he
does fit with the definition of a Christ-figure as he died to help break the
cycle of racism that his community suffered from.
Jefferson clearly has many flaws
of his own, but I think that in general he does fit with the Christ-figure
because of his situation and how he eventually handles it. Although there are
several points you can use to argue against him being a Christ-figure, it is
undeniable that there is some symbolism at work here. This is my conclusion,
but what do you guys think?
I agree with your conclusion in the end that, though there are certainly good counterarguments, Jefferson does fit the overall criteria of a Christ-figure. The biggest counterargument, I'd say, is that Jefferson's death is not voluntary. (If anyone needs to know why Christians believe Jesus died voluntarily and not powerlessly at the hands of the Romans, I can certainly expand on that.) Jefferson is resentful and bitter at first but ends up choosing the more honorable death in the end. To me, this is how Gaines reconciles the symbolism of a Christ-figure and a hero's journey; by definition, a perfect hero cannot further develop his character.
ReplyDeleteOne important aspect to this discussion, I think, is Jefferson's initially critical view of Jesus as he went to his execution, "without a mumbling word." At this point, Jefferson seems to think that it would be more dignified or appropriate for someone in such a position to denounce the powers that be, to condemn the whole system as unjust, to protest his innocence, whatever. In a sense, he comes around to the idea that "not saying a mumbling word," combined with the act of *walking* toward one's own execution, not begging for mercy or legitimating the sentence but asserting one's own humanity (thus condemning those who would execute such a man), is the way to be "heroic" in an impossible situation like this. In this sense, Jefferson models his final actions on Jesus--with the ironic addition that it's the preacher who wants him to *kneel* (which would be rather un-Christlike).
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