Faith has always played a role in human society. Some put their faith in a divine being, while others put their faith in more physical things. In the historical fiction novel A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest J. Gaines, a reader can see the motivation people get from faith, whether it is their own faith or the faith of others. This novel is set in the town of Bayonne, Louisiana in the 1940s. It depicts the struggle of two black men in their lives, one having been wrongly accused of murder and the other trying to come to terms with the the state of his community. Jefferson was called a pig by his defense attorney and sentenced to death after being falsely accused. Throughout the book, Grant Wiggins, a school teacher, attempts to help Jefferson learn how to act and die like a man. With the narrative focused on Grant, the reader sees how Grant struggles to live in a community where everyone he loves is oppressed. However, both Grant and Jefferson learn what it means to be a man in their struggles. Faith gives people the strength to accomplish anything, is the pervasive theme of Ernest Gaines' novel, A Lesson Before Dying. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Symbols are scattered throughout A Lesson Before You Die. When Jefferson is in prison, he doesn't have much to live on. After his defense attorney calls Jefferson a pig, he takes those words to heart and loses the ability to act like a human. Grant spends time rebuilding that trust; reach a human side of Jefferson through radio. Jefferson gets this radio with help from the community. Thelma and Claiborne of the Rainbow Club give Grant money so he can buy this radio (Gaines 173). Jefferson clearly has the community behind him and they want to support him. Grant is not the only one who wants Jefferson to be a man. The radio represents everyone's desire for Jefferson to become a man and die with dignity. The radio helps Jefferson realize who he really is and how much hope the community has in him. The play Grant puts on with his schoolchildren also represents the community's faith. Grant is held in high regard by most of the people he interacts with, especially his students. After the play, “[they] waited on stage to hear what [Grant] thought of the program. [He] told them everything was fine, very fine” (Gaines 151). Here the reader sees that Grant is losing his faith. Most teachers would be very enthusiastic about the students' performance. However, Grant views the play as a representation of the constant, never-ending state of Bayonne. For him, this shows that year after year, nothing changes in this city. It is a symbol of the futility with which he lives day after day. However, that year's performance was slightly different: “This year the children found a cute little pine tree. It used to be oak or whatever they could find” (Gaines 141). This pine symbolizes the constant improvement of Bayonne. In recent years, children didn't try hard enough to find a pine tree. However, this year Grant motivated them enough that the kids wanted a pin for their show. The pine tree shows that Grant is able to reach both the children and Jefferson through his and others' trust in these people. The symbols allow Gaines to convey the theme that faith allows people to achieve any goal. Gaines also expertly uses metaphors to show the theme of faith. These metaphors sometimes span entire pages ofGaines' writing; conveying a lot about the book, its theme and the characters. During one of his visits to Jefferson, Grant tries to encourage Jefferson that everyone has the opportunity to change, no matter who they are. Before that, one could find a sense of futility in Grant's visits. Each seemed to have almost no effect on Jefferson, leaving him feeling unsatisfying. However, Jefferson listened as Grant described: how Mr. Farrell makes a slingshot handle. He starts with just a small piece of raw wood – any small piece of scrap wood – then he starts cutting…, then shaving. Razes it...until it's not what it was before, but something new and pretty. …And that is all we are, Jefferson, all of us on this earth, a piece of floating wood, until we – each of us, individually – decide to become something else. … [Y]ou can be better. Because we need you to be and want you to be. ...Do you understand what I'm telling you, Jefferson? Do you? (Gaines 193) In this passage, Grant connects the construction of any object to every life. He says that "[it] starts with just a small piece of raw wood", showing how everything begins as an uncarved work, waiting to be worked and recreated. The fact that Grant addresses a subject from his childhood is also very important. This shows that even if one does not realize it, a person's life is constantly changing. Grant then shows that evolution does not occur in a single step. Mr. Farrell must first cut the wood into a similar shape, then spend as much time shaving it until the slingshot is created from a simple piece of wood. After starting with a slingshot, Grant explains that everyone must find their own path and “decide to become something else.” However, this does not mean that everyone must find their way alone. Grant encourages Jefferson to change the future of their community while accepting his own destiny. Describing the slingshot as “something new and pretty” reflects everyone’s potential to become beautiful in their own way. Throughout the passage, Grant's trust in Jefferson is evident. In this metaphor, Gaines describes the relationship between Grant and Jefferson while remaining vague and leaving the choice up to the reader. From the fact that Grant is speaking, it seems clear that Grant is Mr. Farrell, making Jefferson a man, and Jefferson is the sling. Later in the book this is called into question. It becomes apparent that Jefferson also did a lot for Grant through his growth. The reader begins to wonder if Grant was really Mr. Farrell and if he was not the rebel. This passage clearly shows the mutual trust Grant and Jefferson had for each other. Furthermore, it reflects that each other's faith motivated Grant and Jefferson to move forward in their lives and achieve their goals. The passage on page 193 clearly shows that A Lesson Before Dying has a theme that shows how faith gives people strength in all circumstances. The slingshot metaphor is not the only one in the book. A Lesson Before Dying contains many other metaphors, most of which show the strength and faith of the book's characters. At the Rainbow Club, Grant overhears a group of men discussing Jackie Robinson. Grant finds himself thinking about Joe Louis, thinking about how he was the hero of the black community. Grant then thinks about the execution of another black victim and his last words: “Please, Joe Louis, help me. Please help me. Help me." (Gains 91). Here it is clear that this anonymous man was put to death for a crime he hoped to escape. The reader does not know much about what happened in this scenario ,.