MARTYRDOM IN ERNEST GAINES’S A LESSON BEFORE DYING

Yssa Désiré KOFFI

Résumé

Ernest Gaines’s novel A Lesson Before Dying satirizes the relationships between Whites and Blacks. As White people refuse the presence of Blacks next to them, they inflict inhuman treatments on the latter who come to be dehumanized. Belittled among the rank of animals, Blacks have no privilege because no legal provisions bound to protect their rights. Refusing to be seen as inferior beings, they go against ideologies and stereotyped images that marginalize them, and reversely they fight to assert their humanity. Their heroism and courage often end in death, but like martyrs, they die with dignity having the conviction that, they too, are human beings.

Abstract

Le roman d’Ernest Gaines, A Lesson Before Dying, fait la satire des relations entre Blancs et Noirs. Alors que les Blancs refusent la présence de Noirs à leurs côtés, ils infligent des traitements inhumains à ces derniers, qui finissent par être déshumanisés. Rabaissés au rang d’animaux, les Noirs n’ont aucun privilège car aucune disposition légale ne protège leurs droits. Refusant d’être considérés comme des êtres inférieurs, ils vont à l’encontre des idéologies et des images stéréotypées qui les marginalisent et, inversement, ils se battent pour affirmer leur humanité. Leur héroïsme et leur courage se terminent souvent par la mort, mais comme des martyrs, ils meurent dans la dignité, convaincus qu’ils sont aussi des êtres humains.