This bet clearly shows the contrast between the care that Emma, Lou, Grant, and other members of the black community feel for Jefferson, as demonstrated in numerous ways throughout the book, and the lack of interest beyond the potential for personal gain that the Sheriff and his wife, Pichot, and whites in general have for Jefferson. Even though Pichot bets in favour of Jefferson's successful progression, his lack of interest in the outcome outside of the case of whiskey he bets demonstrates his lack of sincerity and his involvement in the system which caused Jefferson's predicament in the first place. Largely, his and the Sheriff's intention in allowing Grant to visit Jefferson in jail is for their own enjoyment. Meanwhile, Emma's intention in sending Grant to convince Jefferson of his humanity is to benefit him and those who don't see him as a hog and don't want him to die as one.
The bet also has a more depressing implication. Grant's goal in making Jefferson a man is not only to make Emma happy; he also wants Jefferson to stand up against the system which named him a hog and killed him. Though Jefferson does this, it appears to be of little consequence, as he stands up against the system only long enough for it to kill him officially. The bet is another example of the futility of Jefferson's walk to the chair. Though it is not shown or considered in the book, it is safe to assume that Guidry, who bet against Jefferson, would not have given in to Pichot right away. He likely argued that walking to the chair was not an accurate measure of Grant's and Jefferson's success. Even if he had defined walking as the definition of Jefferson's humanity months before as he made the bet, the fact that the "official" definition is made by a white man who, as sheriff, is as integral to the oppressive system as anyone could be, means that the system continues unscathed after Jefferson's success.
What Gaines does by keeping this bet out of the centre of attention of the reader for the vast majority of the book is that he makes it a more perfect representation of the system of oppression. The whole book is about fighting against the system, which is done as the system continues to operate. As personal struggles and hopes of success begin to gather attention, less mind is payed to the perpetual nature of the system, since putting a dent in its function seems possible. However, just as the bet rears its ugly head once more in Jefferson's diary before his death, the system's integrity goes on despite the months of effort Grant has put in and the success Jefferson had.
The bet also has a more depressing implication. Grant's goal in making Jefferson a man is not only to make Emma happy; he also wants Jefferson to stand up against the system which named him a hog and killed him. Though Jefferson does this, it appears to be of little consequence, as he stands up against the system only long enough for it to kill him officially. The bet is another example of the futility of Jefferson's walk to the chair. Though it is not shown or considered in the book, it is safe to assume that Guidry, who bet against Jefferson, would not have given in to Pichot right away. He likely argued that walking to the chair was not an accurate measure of Grant's and Jefferson's success. Even if he had defined walking as the definition of Jefferson's humanity months before as he made the bet, the fact that the "official" definition is made by a white man who, as sheriff, is as integral to the oppressive system as anyone could be, means that the system continues unscathed after Jefferson's success.
What Gaines does by keeping this bet out of the centre of attention of the reader for the vast majority of the book is that he makes it a more perfect representation of the system of oppression. The whole book is about fighting against the system, which is done as the system continues to operate. As personal struggles and hopes of success begin to gather attention, less mind is payed to the perpetual nature of the system, since putting a dent in its function seems possible. However, just as the bet rears its ugly head once more in Jefferson's diary before his death, the system's integrity goes on despite the months of effort Grant has put in and the success Jefferson had.
The bet certainly makes the execution act more like a game that the white people play. They're betting because it just seems like something they can do to pass the time, like they're sitting on the porch watching a mock baseball game betting "because it's fun." This really demeans Grant's efforts.
ReplyDeleteYah, the bet Sheriff Guidry and Henri Pichot had really irked me. Betting is something you do over trivial things for fun. People bet over whether team X or team Y might win the superbowl, who will win the Oscar/ Grammy/ Emmy, etc., and other relatively insignificant things. The fact that Pichot and Guidry are willing to one Jefferson's sense of masculinity before being executed simply further shows that they really don't give a sh*t about Jefferson/ African Americans in general.
ReplyDeleteThe bet is another example of how you can see a change in the white people's perception of Jefferson throughout the novel. Like we discussed in class, in the end, Sheriff Guidry ends the novel looking at Jefferson as a man, not a hog. It would be interesting to see if he himself understood his changed perception and how the bet went through. Though the change is clear to us, they may not have noticed it at all.
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