WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO MISS EMMA THAT JEFFERSON DIE LIKE A MAN?

Miss Emma want him to die like a man so that she can be proud of him.

She does not want Jefferson to die like an animal. She does not want him to give anybody the satisfaction of seeing him as less of a man. Miss Emma wants to teach Jefferson how to walk to his death like a man. She goes to Mr. Pichot and asks him to ask his brother in law, the sheriff, to allow Grant, his aunt, herself, and the reverend to visit Jefferson.