A Lesson Before Dying Study Guide

A Lesson Before Dying Summary

In the fictional town of Bayonne, Louisiana, the narrator, Grant Wiggins, attends the trial of Jefferson, a 21-year-old man who has been charged with the murder of a white storekeeper. Jefferson insists that two of his acquaintances, Brother and Bear, shot Alcee Gropé, the storekeeper, and the evidence seems to corroborate this. Jefferson's lawyer points this out, but rests his argument on the idea that Jefferson was too stupid to commit the murder, and executing him would be a waste of time because he is nothing more than a hog. Nevertheless, Jefferson is convicted and sentenced to death.

Grant is a schoolteacher and lives with his elderly aunt, Tante Lou, in the quarter, a poor black community thirteen miles away from Bayonne. Tante Lou is…

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Posted By jenisha h #326031 at May 28, 2013 3:16 PM

Grant describes the cycle of life for black men in the South to Vivian. What is his answer to the question: "Can the cycle ever be broken?" Is the answer relevant today?

lesson before dying

A Lesson Before Dying | Answers: 1

Posted By jenisha h #326031 at May 28, 2013 3:15 PM

Why does Grant follow their advice against his own wishes?

Miss Emma and Tante Lou pressure Grant to visit Jefferson in prison.

A Lesson Before Dying | Answers: 1

Posted By jenisha h #326031 at May 28, 2013 3:15 PM

How do these differences create tension in their relationship?

Grant's girlfriend is a light-skinned Catholic mother of two who is not yet divorced

A Lesson Before Dying | Answers: 1