A Lesson Before Dying - Two Conflicting Forces

A commitment to stay in the small town and an equal want to leave it were the two forces pulling on Grant Wiggins in A Lesson Before Dying. His desire to leave the town is evident in his thoughts about it and the fact that it states he had attempted to leave before. Such inner dialogue as, “I wanted to scream at my aunt; I was screaming inside. I had told her many, many times …

…everywhere. The meanings of prejudice and racism are elaborated upon by Grant’s conflict through his own actions involving these themes, where he allows himself to slip to the level of those whites that discriminate against blacks, those he becomes racist against at one time. With this realization, he loses reason for leaving the town he once felt stifled him, and his inner conflict ends with his comprehension of the theme involving prejudice and racism.