Beginning of Essay
Dies, But Is Not Defeated , a black man condemned to die by the electric chair in the novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, is perhaps the strongest character in African-American literature today. is a courageous young black man that a jury of all wh ....

Middle of Essay
.... shows his imprisonment does not defeat him. In one of his last diary entries, says , “shef guiry ax me what I want for my super an I tol him I want nanan to cook me som okra an rice an som pok chop an a conbred an som claba” (232). still enjoys his aunt’s cooking, an outside pleasure from prison. The fact that he can still take pleasure from these small outside things clearly demonstrates that enjoys a small victory over the world that has locked him away. The second characteristic that shows society does not defeat is ’s remaining strong compassion for everyone around him. This shows that through defeat, remains a strong perso ....