Miss Emma's request that, "...the teacher [Grant] make him [Jefferson] know he's not a hog, he's a man" (pp. 20-21), is problematic. In A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, there lies the underlying question of whether Grant is truly able to accomplish such a feat.  From the outset, Grant seems reluctant to participate in the quest to uplift Jefferson's conscious from its miserable state. Could this lack of enthusiasm prevent Grant from fulfilling Miss Emma's request, or as a more intimate connection with Jefferson develops become irrelevant? And if Grant is able to accomplish this mission, what lesson can he teach Jefferson before his death? In this novel, the "lesson before dying" is that life is a precious gift and not something to be taken for granted. Through perennial support and assistance by Grant, a transformation within Jefferson from ignorance and depression...