"Do you like fruit, Jefferson?" [Grant] asked him. "I can pick up some fruit---and some pecans. Ice cream? Funny books? Things like that."
"I want me a whole gallona ice cream," he said, still looking out the window. I saw a slight smile come on his face, and it was not a bitter smile. Not bitter at all. "A whole gallona vanilla ice cream. Eat it with a pot spoon. My last supper. A whole gallona ice cream."
Now I don't like getting emotional at movies or books, but this scene, this scene really touched me. Something about the simplicity of the request and the happiness that Jefferson shows after he makes that request (a happiness we didn't seem to have access to before) really made this scene stand out for me. As it should, since this scene really does help show that progress is *finally* being made! Grant certainly sees it: "...it was not a bitter smile. Not bitter at all." Grant seems surprised by this, since only a few visits before Grant was talking about being exposed to Jefferson's "painful, cynical grin on his face."
Another important distinction between this scene and some of the previous ones is that he CARES ABOUT FOOD. Until now he's been very adamant about trying his best to eat nothing, and that's really significant cause food is a huge part of this community. There's a meme on the internet out there of grandmothers always trying to shove food down your throat to show their hospitality, and this story seems to agree with that meme. Tante Lou and Miss Emma are always trying to get Grant and Jefferson to eat their food, whether it be gumbo, pralines, or that good old fried chicken. The ladies also take much offense if Grant and Jefferson don't eat their food, and the boys know it. When Jefferson impersonates eating like a hog on page 83, Grant says himself that "I won't tell her what you did. She is already sick and that would kill her." Another instance of Jefferson's refusal of food is during his first visit in the dayroom, where Miss Emma tries to spoonfeed Jefferson some mustard greens and he doesn't open his mouth. This obviously devastated Miss Emma quite a bit seeing as that you could "see all the hurt on her face." But no, this time Jefferson does not turn his head to the sight of food. He doesn't day food is for "youmans" or kick food all over the floor when it's offered to him. This time, he earnestly seems to wants some nourishment. Food is a key part of this story, so Jefferson finally saying he wants that ice cream shows that he's finally come more to terms with his sentence and is opening up, arguably becoming more of a "man" because of it.
Besides the progress shown, there is also a part of me that's interested by seeing what the ideal meal of a death row inmate is. I think it's really well articulated in an interview between Giorgia Zardetto and photographer Henry Hargreaves. Henry had made a series called No Seconds, based on different last meals of famous/ infamous inmates. In the interview, Henry said that this process made it so he "began to imagine these prisoners as people and not just numbers." He continues to say that "Our culinary choices often say something about us that we sometimes cannot articulate easily." Something about Jefferson's choice to eat something as simple as vanilla ice cream really does show us a glimpse of his character in some ways. We could perhaps make the connection that he's a simple or straightforward person. After all, its a pretty stark contrast from some of the more extravagant death row meals out there.
For example, John Wayne Gacy, convicted of rape and 33 counts of murder, chose for his final meal to be 12 fried shrimp, a bucket of the original recipe KFC, french fries, and 1 pound of strawberries. Instead, Jefferson's choice is much, much closer to that of Timothy McVeigh, who after being charged with 168 counts of murder, chose for his final meal to be two pints of mint and chocolate chip ice cream. Nice and simple.
And yet, that still pales in comparison to the final meal of Victor Feguer. Convicted of kidnap and murder, he asked for his final meal to be a single olive with the pit still inside. His reasoning? He apparently believed that the olive might grow into an olive tree from inside his body, and hoped it would help make him a symbol of peace.
When someone is convicted to death row, it's really easy to distance ourselves and call them monsters. But its touching and at times heartbreaking to realize that these supposed "monsters" still have some humanity left in them. In the end they're still human. Perhaps horribly flawed humans, or possibly even wrongly convicted humans, but humans nonetheless. As Henry puts it, "I think it's a subject that people can relate to and are curious about. We all eat and we will all die."
Original article is right here incase you're curious: https://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/12-pictures-of-death-row-prisoners-last-meals?utm_term=.vq3j2ZaBx#.ngKZedOBo
Curtis, I like the analysis you gave of Jefferson's last meal a lot. One thing I wondered about as I read it was what a "pot spoon" is. Is it a soup ladel? Ice cream scooper? Regular spoon? It seemed like a randomly specific detail to include for a final meal, and yet one that we can all understand.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure a "pot spoon" is a big, stirring spoon (maybe a wooden spoon?), not the kind of thing one usually eats with (in keeping with Jefferson's childlike desire for a "whole gallon" of ice cream all to himself). This is a fantasy of indulgence from someone who hasn't been able to "indulge" much, if at all, in his life so far.
DeleteThis is a really interesting post. I think his final meal is also a very physical and obvious way to show Jefferson's changes. He first goes from not eating, to wanting ice cream, and when we finally get to the end we see that his final meal is pretty classy and cooked by Miss Emma. This transformation of meals really signifies to us how Jefferson's become a man.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read the ice cream request scene, I'll admit I teared up. It just made Jefferson seem so young and highlighted his innocence and I just couldn't process why the justice system would be so cruel against him. By making him seem younger in this scene, it really appeals to your sympathy card. I mean, if ice cream represents childhood, then the court system is essentially condemning a child. Additionally, the ice cream presents his humanity to the reader. Most if not all of us have eaten ice cream at one point. We can clearly imaging Jefferson eating it and cherishing what would be his last meal. I just can't process how sad that scene looks to me.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you went and researched different last meals (...unless you already knew about the criminals and their last meals already? which would be some odd fun-fact trivia in your head but...). I found it interesting that both of the convicts you chose had many accounts of murder (body count: over 200 combined), while supposedly Jefferson had none. This makes me really sad; Jefferson shouldn't even have to choose his last meal, as he is innocent (implied). I agree, this scene was touching for many reasons.
ReplyDeleteI also thought the last meal scene was particularly affective. It's interesting that Jefferson changed his mind as to what he wanted, and maybe something can be read into his wanting home cooking in the end instead, and what that says about his character.
ReplyDeleteWow--I'd not been aware of the similarities between McVeigh's final meal and the one Jefferson initially proposes (although McVeigh apparently didn't indulge to the extent that Jefferson dreamed of). The fantasy of a "whole gallona ice cream" always strikes me as a rather childish one, though--still very significant progress, as previously Jefferson has seemed to take on the "hog" role assigned to him by his defense attorney. But it's a crucial development (and one that always gets me emotionally, as well) when, at the very end, he changes his last-meal request to a home-cooked meal by his godmother, with only a modest bowl of ice cream for dessert. This reflects a more mature/adult understanding of food as not just a personal (or selfish) form of sustenance but as a social gesture--a primary reflection of Jefferson now seeing himself as "part of the whole."
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