Theme Of Dehumanization In A Lesson Before Dying - 881 Words

â€Å"Humankind struggles with collective powers for its freedom, the individual struggles with dehumanization for the possession of his soul.† – Saul Bellow. This is what occurs to the characters in the novels A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey. Throughout, it is visible that the individuals encounter several situations in which they are dehumanized, and the effects that it leaves on them is evident in multiple ways. Both novels A Lesson Before Dying and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest demonstrate the brutal theme of social and racial oppression and how shame prevails throughout, resulting in the outbreak of rebellious acts, and leading to the characters’ grueling yet impactful journey†¦show more content†¦Instead of Nurse Ratched taking care of the patients’ wellbeing, she manipulates and controls them by using several methods, such as electroshock therapy and the group thera py sessions. McMurphy immediately notices after the session the strategies that she uses to dominate the patients, and tells them that this is her way of oppressing and degrading them. Moreover, in A Lesson Before Dying, Jefferson’s lawyer calls him a ‘hog’, and it is shown how great of an impact it has on him. During one of Grant’s visits to the courthouse, Jefferson says to Grant, â€Å"I’m a old hog,† (Gaines, page 83). This quote depicts that Jefferson himself believes that he is a hog. He thinks he is not worthy enough and is considered a â€Å"nobody†. He even goes to the extent of sticking his head in a bag of food and eats without his hands to show Grant how hogs eat, which portrays the effect that it leaves on him. Similarly, in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Billy Bibbit’s mother dominates and oppresses him. Due to her controlling behaviours, he never has any experiences with women. Billy tells his mother abou t how he is looking for a wife. She says he has â€Å"scads of time for things like that.† (Kesey, page 295). He then tells her that he is thirty-one years old, and she says, â€Å"...do I look like the mother of a middle-aged man?† (Kesey, page 295). This quote refers to the fact that Billy is an everlasting child. His mom does not let him age accurately because it would mean thatShow MoreRelatedA Lesson Before Dying By Ernest Gaines961 Words   |  4 PagesA Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines implicitly expresses the ideas of racial injustice, dehumanization, and false stereotyping through Ernest Gaines’s use of simple diction. Gaines’s writing style is plainly-descriptive and simple. For example, â€Å"The bag burst open, and there was fried chicken and biscuits and sweet potatoes all over the place.† Clearly, his use of descriptive words are bland and elementary-like. This, however, is intentional because it contrasts with the character of t he blackRead MoreMe Up at Does - Alternate Perspective1757 Words   |  8 Pagesfigurative language; the incorporation symbols and allegorical elements into the poem; the use of symbolism requiring an imagination of each individual reader; and, of course, an underlying theme, which this author leaves to our own interpretation. This seemingly-simple poem actually provides a variety of themes for exploration in seeking to determine the author’s overall meaning behind the composition of E.E. Cummings’s Me up at does. Me up at does introduces us to a 3rd person (limited) speaker