Duality
Who exactly is the "hero" in A Lesson Before Dying, Grant or Jefferson? Both cases seem to follow Campbell's 12 steps to a hero's journey in their own ways.
If Grant is the hero, the "first threshold" he crosses would be his first meeting with Jefferson. He "refuses the call" at first, until his aunt pretty much forces him to go. His aunt would then be the "mentor", as the person who convinces the hero to cross the first threshold.
Grant is "tested" as he tries to communicate with Jefferson. He mostly works alone, with no allies directly helping him in his mission, and no direct enemies either. (Though perhaps Ambrose could be considered an enemy of sorts, with their differing beliefs.) He ultimately succeeds in communicating with Jefferson, but with the execution inevitable from the start, is this really a success?
If Jefferson is the hero, most of the novel consists of his "mentor", Grant, convincing him to cross the "first threshold" and start talking to him. His "ordeal" and final mission is to restore dignity to himself and the black race as a whole before dying. Here, it seems he succeeded, even though he died in the end.
Both Grant and Jefferson's paths don't lead to happy endings like most "standard" hero's journey stories. Despite both of them succeeding in their missions in the end, Grant is crying as the novel ends, and Jefferson no longer lives.
If Grant is the hero, the "first threshold" he crosses would be his first meeting with Jefferson. He "refuses the call" at first, until his aunt pretty much forces him to go. His aunt would then be the "mentor", as the person who convinces the hero to cross the first threshold.
Grant is "tested" as he tries to communicate with Jefferson. He mostly works alone, with no allies directly helping him in his mission, and no direct enemies either. (Though perhaps Ambrose could be considered an enemy of sorts, with their differing beliefs.) He ultimately succeeds in communicating with Jefferson, but with the execution inevitable from the start, is this really a success?
If Jefferson is the hero, most of the novel consists of his "mentor", Grant, convincing him to cross the "first threshold" and start talking to him. His "ordeal" and final mission is to restore dignity to himself and the black race as a whole before dying. Here, it seems he succeeded, even though he died in the end.
Both Grant and Jefferson's paths don't lead to happy endings like most "standard" hero's journey stories. Despite both of them succeeding in their missions in the end, Grant is crying as the novel ends, and Jefferson no longer lives.
I'm not sure this is an "either/or" kind of question: as you say, we can identify Campbellian "journeys" for both characters, and both serve kind of like mentors for each other on their respective journeys. Grant's journey is meaningless without Jefferson's, and Jefferson's never would have happened without Grant giving *him* "the call" and challenging him to transcend his circumstances. I see a unique kind of dual-hero narrative, where each characters' heroism makes the other heroic.
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