In A Lesson Before Dying, we've talked a lot about what it even means for Jefferson to become a man. Some of the characters are taking bets on whether or not Grant will succeed in his teaching, but his goal is a very abstract and subtle one to grasp. As I read, it seems like Jefferson is slowly progressing through various philosophical systems until he finally approaches one in which his actions can have the wide-ranging effects that Grant, Tante Lou, and Miss Emma hope for from him.
During Grant's first few visits to the cell, Jefferson is practically in a state of shock. He barely speaks, and when he does talk it's only to say that "it don't matter" and that he's "nothing but an old hog." He is described several times as displaying a wide, painful grin in order to hide his feelings from any and all visitors. In short, he appears to be existing in anomie, a state where an individual is not provided with moral guidance from society due to a lack of connections with their community. Jefferson is cut off from the rest of the world as he attempts to come to terms with his own impending death, and in response he simply shuts down and rebels against anything and everything he can. He tries to hurt his visitors with his cynicism and recalcitrance, and frequently refuses to eat or speak because he sees everything as meaningless.
Once his execution date is actually set, Jefferson's attitude changes. He is still unready to grapple with what it means to die, so he begins to seek distractions by indulging in hedonism (or what passes for hedonism in a jail cell). Jefferson asks for his last meal to be an entire gallon of ice cream and spends entire days listening to the radio Grant gets for him, ignoring Miss Emma when she tries to talk to him. At this point, he's still attempting to deny his inevitable death, but his awareness of the outside world is beginning to grow.
A couple of weeks later, Jefferson is able to really listen to and comprehend Grant's speeches about heroism and the broader impact of his own actions. He understands that his actions will have no impact on his own fate, but realizes that he can still "break the cycle" and become a hero in his community. Although he still acts in some slightly un-heroic ways (asking what anybody has ever done for him, for example), Jefferson seems to be actively grappling with his own death and potential legacy, searching for the strength to confront his execution with the dignity that everyone is requesting from him. However, he still doesn't seem to have the answers he's looking for, and I expect that this final stage of development will be the subject of the last three chapters of the novel.
It's an impossible proposition to try to really put ourselves in Jefferson's position, or in his head, as he sits in that cell and tries to process what's happened to him. But perhaps his initial embrace of the "hog" identity offers a kind of psychological protection--free of the burden of being human, Jefferson can embrace a bitter and cynical view of life and take on the role of someone (something?) being "fattened for slaughter". Your discussion aptly points out how asserting his manhood, or humanity--particularly under such dehumanizing conditions--requires a conscious effort, an act of *assertion* that takes courage and fortitude. I'm not suggesting it's "easy" to take on the "hog" identity--nothing about Jefferson's situation is easy--but it's a path of least resistance, and it amounts to a kind of "giving up," allowing himself to be defined by the system that will define when and how his life ends. Grant gets him to see that *resisting* that definition is worthwhile and even essential to his humanity.
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