Quote 1
What
justice would there be to take this life? Justice, gentlemen? Why,
I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this.
In Chapter 1,
Jefferson’s defense attorney asks the jury to spare -Jefferson’s
life by implying it would be cruel to kill a man no more intelligent
or moral than a hog. He voices the ugly belief, held by many whites,
that blacks are animals. Jefferson becomes haunted by the idea and
begins acting like a hog, angrily refusing to talk and rooting through
his food. Miss Emma realizes the impact the attorney’s words have
on Jefferson and makes it her business to ensure Jefferson dies
like a man, not like an animal. When Jefferson decides to die with
dignity, he shakes off the jeering stereotypes pinned on him by
whites. Furthermore, because the attorney expressed a stereotype
about blacks held by many whites, when Jefferson acts nobly he acts
on behalf of an entire oppressed community.
