Symbols Where/when do these symbols appear?

Church

symbolizes the hope that society will change

Food

symbolizes characters’ affection for one another

A Lesson Before Dying: Study Guide Chapter 1Comprehension

Setting:

What is the initial setting of the novel? Where is the narrator for the opening sentence, and the opening page?

What happens to Gropè, Brother, and Bear in the opening pages of the novel?

What kind of business does old Gropè have?

Why is using the telephone, not really a good option for Jefferson in Gropè’s place?

What does Jefferson foolishly take from Gropè’s place? Taking this probably leads to his death.

What, according to the Judge, will be the penalty? Be very specific; the answer requires more than one word.

Analysis

Existentialism: How responsible are we for our actions, for our predicament, for our lives? Is Jefferson guilty? Is he somewhat responsible for the murder in the store? Is he responsible for his own trial, since he took the liquor and the money?

How much responsibility do we have for our lives? Are we responsible for being on the road when a drunk driver crashes into us?

What do we think of the defense attorney’s strategy—that Jefferson is essentially an animal, a boy not a man, and can’t think or plan things with his small brain? Will this defense work for him? What does it tell us about the novel’s setting?

What else can we infer about the setting, and the narrator in the opening chapter?

We don’t get anything about the narrator in this chapter. Why? What literary purpose might this omission serve?

Note that we start with a capital trial—a very essential human-condition premise. Are we all, in a way, involved in a trial ending in death?

Also note that the defense attorney ends with this statement: “We must live with our own conscience” (8). What does Gaines evoke here?

Nine pages into the novel, we know that Jefferson is condemned. What can this novel be about?

What are some connotations for the word, condemned? Are we all condemned? If so, what are our lives about?

“Brother” and “Bear” –not really human names, what effect do these names have?

A Lesson Before Dying: Study Guide Chapter 2

ComprehensionWhat relation is Miss Emma to Jefferson?

What does the narrator apparently do for a living?

The defense attorney calls Jefferson something that really affects Miss Emma. What does he call Jefferson that Miss Emma repeats in chapter 2?

Analysis

Note how Miss Emma stares out into the yard, Yet, “was not seeing any of that” (12). This echoes the narrator’s first words in the novel: “I was not there, yet I was there” (3). What does Gains achieve or imply with these contradictions?

Tante Lou, Miss Emma, Jefferson is dead. It is only a matter of weeks, maybe a couple of months—but he’s already dead….There’s nothing I can do anymore, nothing any of us can do anymore (14)

Is he right; is it too late for Jefferson? What about the rest of us mortals?

What do we make of the Narrator now—now that we know he doesn’t want his job, his life, now that we know he does as he is told by his aunt? What lessons does he need to learn in this novel?

A Lesson Before Dying: Study Guide Chapter 3 and 4

ComprehensionWhat request does Miss Emma make of Henri Pichot?

What do Henri Pichot and Louis Rougon hold in their hands during the conversation in chapter 3?

What appliances are apparently new at Henri Pichot’s home? (name one)

What connection does Miss Emma have to the Pichot house? How, beyond this visit, is she connected to the house of Henri Pichot?

Grant, the narrator, meets his girlfriend, Vivian, at the Rainbow room. What proposal does he make to her?

What legal restriction (Of hers) keeps her from immediately taking him up on his offer?

How doe Vivian feel about Miss Emma’s idea about making Jefferson a man?

AnalysisWhat characterization or exposition do we get from chapter 3?

They are from, “The Quarter.” What does this mean?

We find out that Grant has left the South before, but returned. Why might he have returned? What does this tell us about him?

How, so far, does Southern racism seem to affect Grant and his character?

On page 30, Vivian asks Grant about his desire to leave. What are we to understand about Grant from the following question?

“You told me then how much you always wanted to get away. And you did, once. …You went to California…but you wouldn’t stay. You couldn’t stay. You had to come back. Why did you come back, Grant? Why?”

What does Gaines want us to know about Grant from the following interaction between him and Vivian?

“After the divorce I’ll do whatever you want me to do—as long as you’re responsible for what you do.” “In other words, if I fail, I would have to blame myself the rest of my life for trying, is that it?” (30)

Considering Grant’s personality and his feelings about his life, who is in greater need of a lesson—Jefferson or Grant?

A Lesson Before Dying: Study Guide Chapter 5

ComprehensionWho avoids Grant early in the chapter, and early in the morning?

What hands from a ten foot bamboo pole in the corner of the white picket fence that surrounded the church? The children Grant teaches do something there at the chapter’s outset.

Grant Wiggins strikes a boy with his ruler. In what subject (school subject) was the boy committing errors?

Wiggins makes a girl write multiple sentences on the board as punishment for an error in her writing. What was the error in her writing?

Wiggins strikes a first grade boy on the head. What was the boy playing with?

Angry with their sub-par performance, Wiggins describes something in great detail to his students, this shocks them and causes one to cry. What does he describe to them?

AnalysisNote style of first paragraph: sparse, meditative, limited. What effect does this style have on the reader?

He notes that he knows the performance of his students before they perform. He knows who will know their lessons, etc. How does this play into one of the book’s themes? (Fate vs. Free will; that perhaps there is no point to action) What comment (commentary) about the world is Gains, perhaps, making here.

What do we think of his reaction to the student who incorrectly multiplies, or of the girl who writes a slanted sentence? What is Gaines trying to achieve here?

What does Gaines establish by having Mr. Farrell say he doesn’t know what Henri Pichot wants, when Both Wiggins and Farrell do, in fact, know? And further, what is established by noting that Mr. Farrell is a talented tradesman, and an aged man, but must ask merely as a messenger to run errands?

A Lesson Before Dying: Study Guide Chapters 6 & 7

ComprehensionWiggins stops by Miss Emma’s house and talks to Miss Emma and his Aunt on the way to Henri Pichot’s home. Who goes with Grant Wiggins on this trip to Pichot’s home?

What according to Inez, Pichot’s cook, are Pichot and Louis perhaps betting on?

What irritates Grant, and is intended probably to irritate him, about the way he is received at his 5 O’clock appointment at Pichot’s home?

Evidently, the powerful white men at Pichot’s home come to feel that Grant Wiggins is too _____________for his own good. They perceive this through conversation with him.

What does the sheriff eventually decide about Miss Emma’s request?

Grant states at the beginning of chapter seven that two things happened at the school before he visited Jefferson in Jail. Name either.

Grant posts a child outside the school to watch out for something. What is the child watching for?

What does Wiggins ask for that irritates the superintendent?

Analysis

What common assumptions does Gains rely on early in the novel about people, the world, and life? Some of these assumptions will have to be overturned in the novel.

Why does Pichot send for Grant at five if he won’t see him until after dinner, which doesn’t begin until 5:45? He ends up waiting nearly two and a half hours.

What are we to make of Edna Guidry (the woman who comes back to the kitchen and greets Grant)?

The Sheriff and others feel that it’s a waste of time for Grant to Visit Jefferson; is it?

What predictions or inferences can we make about the outcome of the novel?

What are we to make of the superintendent’s visit? What purpose does this passage serve in the novel?

What is notable about his description? (He’s fat—like one of the men at Pichot’s)

A Lesson Before Dying: Study Guide Chapters 8, 9 & 10

Comprehension

What is delivered at beginning of chapter 8?

Who does Grant remember and then ponder through the whole chapter? This is one person.

Why does the older teacher feel superior to Grant?

Late in his life, Grant’s teacher complains about a physical sensation that he cannot remedy. What is this sensation?

What do Miss Emma and Grant discuss during their long drive together?

Where do they go?

Name something specific that Miss Emma Brings Jefferson.

Who pretends to be sick in chapter 10?

What does Grant give the other prisoners in the cell block each time he visits?

Analysis

Why does it bother Grant to see the kids enjoying physical labor?

What does Gaines want us to make of Grant’ teacher, Antoine?

Can we forgive him for his bitterness? Is his hate his own fault?

Does it matter that his predictions seem to come true (that the kids will die, that they will be broken by racism)?

Why does he hate Grant?

Does Grant hate his promising students as well?

Why has Gaines made this teacher mixed race, a mulatto? What theme or message does he evoke with this choice? Note structure of the conversation between Grant and the dying teacher on pages 64-66. The dialogue is not broken down into paragraphs, as it should be. Why does Gaines break this grammatical rule here? What does he achieve?

What is thematic about the description of courthouse?

Jefferson states several times that it doesn’t matter. How does this fit in with the novel as a whole?

How do we feel about Grant’s bitterness in chapter 10?

A Lesson Before Dying: Study Guide Chapters 11 & 12

ComprehensionOn his way into the jail, whose office does Grant visit for the first time since he’s been visiting Jefferson?

Jefferson asks if Grant brought a specific kind of food. It has to do with what the defense attorney called him. What food does Jefferson ask for?

Why does Jefferson put his head in the bag?

Grant wishes to conceal the fact that Jefferson is not talking to Grant from someone at the Courthouse. He also wants to conceal it from Miss Emma. But who is it at the courthouse that he wants to fool, to beat?

What baseball player are the men talking about at the bar?

After spending some time at the bar, where does Grant go?

Vivian leaves the room for a moment and gives Grant a task. What is he supposed to do while she talks to the principal?

Grant writes some translations on a chalkboard in what language?

AnalysisWhat does Jefferson’s emotional state and his concern about being called a hog tell us about him?

Does Grant seem to be trying to work with Jefferson?

What point does Gaines make with the discussion of the athletes (Jackie Robinson, and Joe Louis)? Why does the convict that Grant remembers reading about from Florida call out to Joe Louis as he is dragged to his death? Is there a religious element there?

Grant seems bothered that there are only two high profile black heroes for the black community. Is he, himself, really stepping up to fill the role?

In life, should we look to heroes, or should we define our own route? What does Gaines seem to be saying?

How much of a role, so far, has religion played in this novel? What inference about Gaines and his message can we make from this?

On page 93 Vivian says she can’t take the chance of losing her children to her husband (by going away for the night with Grant). On page 94 Grant wonders if the reason he, himself, doesn’t take a chance in leaving town due to love or –on the other hand—cowardice? What is the role of chance in the novel, and in life?

A Lesson Before Dying: Study Guide Chapters 13, 14 and 15

ComprehensionOn what day of the week does chapter 13 take place? There is a flashback to Friday, but the rest of the chapter takes place on an easily identifiable (by the actions of his aunt) day.

What did Grant Stop doing, or participating in, during his university years?

Who visits Grant out at his home in the Quarter?

Who is Molly Wiggins and Paul Wiggins, or Paulette Wiggins?

What did Vivian do that upset her family in Free LaCove?

Grant and his aunt argue briefly about who is going to make what? Ultimately, Grant makes it.

Name something that Tante Lou questions Vivian about in the Kitchen?

AnalysisGrant seems to be bothered by everything in his community. He seems frustrated by all that surrounds him, yet he stays. Can we see this as a broader metaphor for life? What might Gaines be saying, beyond his discussion of the African American experience in the Jim Crow South? Grant and Vivian walk around the quarter; it’s described as beautifully rustic and at the close of the chapter, they make love among the sugar cane fields. What might be Gaines’s message in his Eden-like descriptions of the quarter in this chapter?

After making love, Vivian says, “I think something happened.” Then they discuss children’s names. Should they have children?

What does it tell us about Grant that he names his own unborn children, but never mentions Vivian’s existing children by name?

After Grant’s Aunt gives Vivian the 3rd degree about class and skin-color, Vivian comments that she goes through the same thing with her family. Grant says that it is far from being the same thing, and she goes quiet. What does this tell us about Grant?

What do the ladies from the quarter mean by “Quality?” (Vivian is fair skinned). What does Gaines achieve by emphasizing the fact that Vivian has fair skin and that her family rejects those who are darker than themselves?

Is Vivian good for Grant—can she give him what he needs to develop as a person? Offer some examples to support your answer.

A Lesson Before Dying: Study Guide Chapters 16, 17 and 18

ComprehensionGrant’s class prepares for Christmas. What was wrong with the tree that they used the year before?

Who does Jefferson look at with hatred when he has visitors?

Grant and another man, who Grant already sort of knows, formally introduce one another. The man’s name is Paul Bonin. Who is Paul Bonin?

Who does Jefferson make a vulgar remark about, designed to upset Grant?

What does Jefferson knock all over the floor from his bed?

Who pressures the Sheriff to let Jefferson meet guests in a larger room?

In Chapter 18, where do Miss Emma, Tante Lou, Reverend Ambrose and Jefferson meet: In the cell, the dayroom; the gym; or the field outside the jail?

In Chapter 18, who does Grant go to see after meeting with Jefferson?

AnalysisPaul and Grant, and then Grant and Jefferson discuss man’s confrontation with death. The idea here is that Jefferson is wrestling with his awareness of his own death—but by extension, we are all aware of our own death and we all have limited time to live. What responsibilities do we all have, knowing that we might die in any moment, and that eventually we will die?

What do we think of Grant’s argument that he has a responsibility to his Godmother, a responsibility to not make her sad?

What do we think of Jefferson’s response that he is going to die anyway, and that all people cry?

Grant seems to make the case that he, too, might die at any time. Jefferson notes that this is not the same as knowing you will die very soon. Who’s correct?

Note that Grant’s primary argument, to Jefferson, about responsibility is that he --Jefferson-- owes something to his Godmother. Does Grant follow his own advice?

What is Gaines’s message here, about humans in general?

Why is Jefferson living up to the Defense attorney’s characterization? Why is he carrying this hog characterization so far? What, given everything else in the novel, is Gaines getting at here?

How well does the setting here (jail, trial, racist community, limitation) work for Gaines’s message about what we do with our life?

A Lesson Before Dying: Study Guide Chapters 19 and 20Comprehension

What is the weather like during the Christmas pageant? Snowing, sleet, rain, unseasonable hot, or tremendously windy?

Miss Rita Lawrence always insisted on contributing something to the Christmas program and every time it was a _____________. Hers was never as white as those of the other contributors.

Rita Lawrence has a big, evidently mentally retarded grandson. What does he love and always play with? He has them with him as he sits in the front row at the Christmas program.

How do the kids in the program make the Star of Bethlehem?

Why is Grant called back to Pichot’s house in chapter 20?

What other black man is already at Pichot’s house when Grant arrives?

Who does Guidry, the Sheriff, send out to see Miss Emma? This person’s name is Sid.

What does Grant do when he leaves Pichot’s house.

AnalysisWhy might Gaines have included the dialogue from the whole Christmas program? (Perhaps to show the grammatical errors the students make, perhaps to make the point that change, in the quarter is slow and that Grant has his work set out for him. We see this at the end of chapter 19, at the end of the Christmas program, Grant is unhappy with what?

Is there any significance to the execution date of April 8th [2nd Friday after Easter], or around Easter? Also, it’s on Friday. (Note Grant, discusses this explicitly on page 158)

“Twelve white men say a black man must die, and another white man sets the date and time …” (157). Might there be any significance to the number of jurors here? Why does Gaines have grant mention it in this context?

Are there any other ways in which Jefferson is Christ-like?

Study Guide A Lesson Before Dying: Chapters 21 and 22Comprehension:

Whose car does Grant see at Jefferson’s Godmother’s house as he approaches? This person stares Grant down when he enters, but Grant ignores him.

Who visits Grant at his home immediately after Grant visits Miss Emma, Jefferson’s Godmother?

Who is in bed during this entire chapter? This person speaks a bit to at least two characters.

Who, according to Vivian, is in love with Grant?

Grant promises to bring Jefferson two things. One of those things is something that Jefferson says he has never in his life had enough of. He wants a gallon of it. What is it?

The other thing Grant promises Jefferson is not food, and he goes into town immediately after visiting Jefferson to borrow money to get it at Edwin’s department store. What is it?

Who lends him money to buy something for Jefferson?

When Grant goes into Edwin’s department store to buy Jefferson something, he does not buy the model he sees on the shelf. He wants something further. What does he demand from the saleswoman?

Analysis

What themes, ideas, or metaphors are evoked through Grant’s description of the fate of black men in chapter 21, especially the line, “So each time a male child is born, they hope he will be the one to change this vicious circle…” (167)? [Chapter ends with a pretty heavy description of how men in the black community tend to break, how they are expected to make up for 300 years of failure: presented in dialogue between Vivian and Grant.]

If Grant understands the situation, and Miss Emma’s hope for a son who breaks the cycle, who dies like a martyr so well, why is he not more willing to work with Jefferson? What seems to be Gaines’s message about responsibility to self and responsibility to community? Which side of the argument does the book, broadly, support?

What is notable about the logical or literary placement of the scene in which the saleswoman at Edwin’s department store makes Grant wait and otherwise attempts to humiliate him? What point does Gaines reinforce with this passage?

A Lesson Before Dying: Study Guide Chapters 23 and 24Comprehension

When Miss Emma, Tante Lou, and Reverend Ambrose visit Jefferson, he refuses to leave his cell unless he can bring what?

In Chapter 23, where do Miss Emma, Tante Lou, Reverend Ambrose and Jefferson meet: In the cell, the dayroom; the gym; or the field outside the jail?

Grant manages to get Jefferson to agree to talk to two people; he gets Jefferson to agree to meet with Jefferson’s Godmother, Miss Emma—but specifically to TALK to two people. One of those people is himself (Grant). Who is the other?

At the end of Grant’s visit to Jefferson [at the end of chapter 23] Jefferson says something to Grant that brings Grant tremendous joy, and results in Grant’s clasping Jefferson’s hand. What is it that Jefferson says to Grant?

Who begins eating before grace is spoken at lunch?

Who refuses, at first, to eat the gumbo?

What, while Grant walks with Jefferson in the day room, does Grant tell Jefferson that he can become. He states that he, himself, can never become one of these, but that Jefferson can.

What, while Grant and Jefferson walk in the dayroom, special favor does Grant ask Jefferson to do for his Godmother, Emma?

As part of Grant’s rhetorical speech to Jefferson, he offers an analogy. He mentions that Mr. Farrell carves things out of wood. What does Mr. Farrell, according to Grant’s speech, carve from wood?

AnalysisIn chapter 23, the sheriff questions, even scolds, the reverend for not taking an active part in counseling Jefferson. The reverend states that his duty is to stand by sister Emma; the sheriff asks him: and what about Jefferson, what about his soul?” (180). Since the Reverend and Grant appear to be at odds, who would we say is doing more authentic good, in the story?

How much of an accomplishment is it for Grant when he gets Jefferson to discuss how he, Jefferson, has never had enough ice cream, never had anything of his own and that he would like the radio? Does this conversation mean that Grant has accomplished his mission?

Is there a deeper, symbolic, level to the argument between Grant and the Reverend about the radio, about personal freedom vs. living up to the expectations of others? Note that earlier, Grant was the one arguing for meeting expectations.

Why is it so amazing to Grant when Jefferson says “tell-tell the chirren thank you for the pe-pecans” (186)? What insight does this give us into Jefferson’s progress?

On page 186, Jefferson mentions the statute of the Confederate soldier for about the 5th time. Why is this image so often evoked and repeated?

Grant tells Jefferson that Jefferson can become a hero, but that he, himself, could not. What rhetorical [persuasive] devices can we identify in Grant's persuasive speech? [191- 193]

Also, note how it comes quickly on the heels of the Reverend’s long prayer over lunch. Is there any significance to the contrast or juxtaposition of the two speeches?

“And that’s all we are, Jefferson, all of us on this earth , a piece of drifting wood, until we—each one of us, individually—decide to become something else”(193). Agree or disagree? (this is a Quick Write in the folder). Is this statement true? Is it true that we only acquire value when we decide to participate in a meaningful way in life, or do we have inherent value simply because we are human?

“I cry, not from reaching any conclusion by reasoning, but because, lowly as I am, I am still part of the whole” (194). These are Grant’s words, an interpretation of Jefferson’s tears. Is he correct, can Jefferson still be a part of the whole? Does an act of defiance, even in the face of implacable death, make us part of the whole, make us matter? In other words, is it our actions, and not our being that makes us matter?

A Lesson Before Dying: Study Guide Chapters 25 and 26Comprehension

There are two mulatto men in the bar, The Rainbow Room, who antagonize, and eventually get into a fight with Grant. What do they do for a living?

In what area have Grant and Vivian been having trouble? Grant feels that this will improve now that he is making progress with Jefferson.

Which guy does Grant primarily fight: the fat guy, the guy with a wandering eye, the tall guy, or the freaky ripped dude?

Whose voice does Grant hear when he wakes from being knocked out?

Who knocked Grant out in chapter 25 (the answer comes in chapter 26)?

Who does Grant get into an argument with in chapter 26?

Vivian’s husband will only grant the divorce if he can do what every weekend?

What does Grant do after staring out into the darkness through Vivian’s screen door?

Analysis

What seems to be the point of this chapter?

“You could have walked out of there.” “’Can Jefferson walk out of where he is?” (205)

Is this a logical argument; does this argument work? What are we to make of it?

What is Vivian’s role in the text? What does her character achieve?

At the end of chapter 26, is there any symbolism or significance to Grant’s looking out into the darkness of the night, through the screen door and then returning to Vivian’s lap?

A Lesson Before Dying: Study Guide Chapters 27 and 28Comprehension

Chapter 27 opens with Grant gazing out into his Aunt’s garden, where he focuses on a stack of poles. What plant, or crop, are those poles designed to support?

The Reverend confronts Grant in chapter 27. Specifically, where do the two meet?

The Reverend specifically wants Jefferson to do something on the day of his execution. Grant has been told his task is to make Jefferson stand and walk tall to the chair. What does the Reverend want to add to that? What does the Reverend want to see Jefferson also do on the day of his execution?

Grant tells the Reverend that he refuses to do something any more; the Reverend states that he, himself, does this and that so does Grant’s Aunt, and that doing this is necessary to get through life. What is it?

Grant says he believes in God. But what does he say he does not believe in?

What kind of music does Jefferson seem to Favor. One would think is would be Blues, but it is not. What kind of music plays on his radio when Grant enters the cell in Chapter 28? It has been previously discussed in earlier chapters.

Roughly speaking, how much time does Jefferson have before the execution date?

Grant offers to bring Jefferson something else; something to help him write. What does he offer and plan to bring now?

AnalysisThe Reverend asks Grant if he ever thinks of anybody but himself. Is this a valid criticism of Grant? What does it imply, philosophically?

The Reverend lashes out at Grant in Grant’s room, chastising Grant for not noticing the pain all around the quarter, for not noticing the wounds on his Aunt’s hands and knees—evidence of her physical labor to pay for his education. Grant says he no longer wishes to lie; the Reverend states that lying is necessary to get through life. Who seems to have the better argument; who do you side with here?

What does is mean that Grant believes in God but not in Heaven?

What seems to be happening to Jefferson as he approaches death?

What is different about Jefferson in this chapter?

Why does Grant seem to be losing his composure in these two chapters? What is he doing wrong, or what is he confronting that is difficult? What flaws are being exposed?

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A Lesson Before Dying: Study Guide Chapters 30 and 31 (end of book)Comprehension

Where does Grant’s Tante Lou spend the night?

What does the black truck bring?

Jefferson offers his Radio as a gift for Paul, but Paul says he cannot accept it. What gift does Paul accept from Jefferson?

What is the last thing Jefferson asks Paul, when they speak at the end of chapter 30? This is just after Jefferson has been shaved in preparation for the electrocution.

What does Grant make the Children in his class do from noon until__________?

What creature comes and goes to and from a hill of bull grass and symbolically tells Grant that the execution has passed?

Who drives out to the quarter to tell Grant that Jefferson walked with strength to the chair?

What does Paul offer to Grant, beyond the diary?

What does Grant do in the final sentence of the novel, as he faces the children in the church?

AnalysisShift in perspective of narrator; we go from person to person on the morning of the execution. Why?

Does the chair, and the truck (it’s black) serve as some form of symbolism?

Someone in the courthouse notes that “The lord died between 12 and 3.” Why mention this?

What role has Paul come to play in this novel? Why does Gaines include him?

“Have I done anything to make you not believe? If I have, please forgive me for being a fool. For at this moment, what else is there?” Is this an admission of religion, or something else? Who does Grant ask forgiveness of?

What does this passage suggest? “My faith is in you, Jefferson” (249). The butterfly comes to the hill of bull grass, (a place that offers it nothing) and then flies into the quarter. Grant sees this as a symbol that the execution has occurred. What else might the butterfly, or its path, symbolize?

In the end, Jefferson walks straight and tall to his death. What messages can we take from this beyond the significance to this particular story?

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Why does Gaines end the story with conversation between Paul and Grant? Why Paul, and not the Reverend or Pichot?

Who is this story about? Paul, Grant, Jefferson, The Reverend, Vivian?

Is it important that Grant cries at the conclusion? What does it signify?

What is Gaines primary message in the novel?

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A Lesson Before Dying: Quiz and Discussion Prompts Chapter 1Quiz Questions:

What is the initial setting of the novel? Where is the narrator for the opening sentence, and the opening page?

Trial; court; courtroom

What happens to Gropè, Brother, and Bear in the opening pages of the novel?They get shot; killed

What kind of business does old Gropè have?General store; store

Why is using the telephone, not really a good option for Jefferson in Gropè’s place?He has never dialed a phone before.

What does Jefferson foolishly take from Gropè’s place? Taking this probably leads to his death.Alcohol, money

What, according to the Judge, will be the penalty? Be very specific; the answer requires more than one word.

Death by electrocution; electric chair.

Discussion Prompts:

Existentialism: How responsible are we for our actions, for our predicament, for our lives? Is Jefferson guilty? Is he somewhat responsible for the murder in the store? Is he responsible for his own trial, since he took the liquor and the money? (These are important questions to get into early in the book. The answers are open to debate, but will allow for a better understanding of the novel). (Existentialism is not nihilism. Existentialism is a philosophy of personal responsibility; the existentialist believes that he and he alone is responsible for all of his decisions—the existentialist always has a choice.)

How much responsibility do we have for our lives? Are we responsible for being on the road when a drunk driver crashes into us? (Open for debate. Arguably, on some level, yes).

What do we think of the defense attorney’s strategy—that Jefferson is essentially an animal, a boy not a man, and can’t think or plan things with his small brain? Will this defense work for him? What does it tell us about the novel’s setting? (He is appealing, directly, to racism in the jurors. It tells us that the book takes places in a deeply racist world).

What else can we infer about the setting, and the narrator in the opening chapter? (Open for debate.)

We don’t get anything about the narrator in this chapter. Why? What literary purpose might this omission serve? (Perhaps it makes the conflicting stories of the murder/robbery seem more unbiased, as Grant doesn’t seem to offer any personal analysis).

Note that we start with a capital trial—a very essential human-condition premise. Are we all, in a way, involved in a trial ending in death? (Sure, in that we all die, and we make decisions that will impact our lives).

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Also note that the defense attorney ends with this statement: “We must live with our own conscience” (8). What does Gaines evoke here? (Open for debate. Perhaps the idea that we are personally responsible for our own world view—we make the world in which we each live).

Nine pages into the novel, we know that Jefferson is condemned. What can this novel be about? (Open for debate; how we use the time we have; racism; justice).

What are some connotations for the word, condemned? Are we all condemned? If so, what are our lives about? (Open for debate).

Style: “White Rabbit Bar and Lounge” Allusion to Alice in Wonderland. “Brother” and “Bear” –not really human names, what effect do these names have? (Open for debate. Maybe they make the murder scene seem unreal—thus, suggesting the unfairness or absurdity of the verdict and of Jefferson’s predicament).

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A Lesson Before Dying: Quiz and Discussion Prompts Chapter 2

Quiz Questions: What relation is Miss Emma to Jefferson?

Godmother

What does the narrator apparently do for a living?School teacher; fourth grade teacher

The defense attorney calls Jefferson something that really affects Miss Emma. What does he call Jefferson that Miss Emma repeats in chapter 2?

Hog.

Discussion Prompts:

Note how Miss Emma stares out into the yard, Yet, “was not seeing any of that” (12). This echoes the narrator’s first words in the novel: “I was not there, yet I was there” (3). What does Gains achieve or imply with these contradictions? (Open for debate. The fact that many of us don’t fully engage in our world—certainly, Grant is not engaged in his life, work, and community).

Style: “They sat there like boulder…” (14). Heavy use of simile. Why? What effect?

Tante Lou, Miss Emma, Jefferson is dead. It is only a matter of weeks, maybe a couple of months—but he’s already dead….There’s nothing I can do anymore, nothing any of us can do anymore (14)

Is he right; is it too late for Jefferson? What about the rest of us mortals? (Open for debate. It’s important to note, here, that we all are condemned to die—is it too late for us?).

What do we make of the Narrator now—now that we know he doesn’t want his job, his life, now that we know he does as he is told by his aunt? What lessons does he need to learn in this novel? (Open for debate. We might argue that he needs to be part of his world and needs to care. His argument to Jefferson’s godmother that it’s too late for Jefferson is outright cruel. Grant seems just as lost as Jefferson here).

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A Lesson Before Dying: Quiz and Discussion Prompts Chapter 3

Quiz Questions: What request does Miss Emma make of Henri Pichot?

That he talks to the Sheriff; that the teacher can visit Jefferson; that Jefferson dies a man, not a hog

What do Henri Pichot and Louis Rougon hold in their hands during the conversation in chapter 3?

Drinks; glasses

What appliances are apparently new at Henri Pichot’s home? (name one)Stove, range, refrigerator.

What connection does Miss Emma have to the Pichot house? How, beyond this visit, is she connected to the house of Henri Pichot?

She used to work there; was a cook.

Grant, the narrator, meets his girlfriend, Vivian, at the Rainbow room. What proposal does he make to her?

That they both leave town; that they leave

What legal restriction (Of hers) keeps her from immediately taking him up on his offer?Marriage; she’s married; she’s not divorced.

How doe Vivian feel about Miss Emma’s idea about making Jefferson a man?She likes it; she wants Grant to go.

Discussion Prompts: What characterization or exposition do we get from chapter 3? (We hear that “the war” has changed things, we know that the narrator drives a ‘46 Ford). We hear the French names [Pichot, Rougon, Bayonne]; we know that important white men are disdainful towards black people.)

They are from, “The Quarter.” What does this mean? (That the African-American characters live in a specifically African-American part of town--segregation).

We find out that Grant has left the South before, but returned. Why might he have returned? What does this tell us about him? (Open for debate. Racism is a likely answer. Perhaps, though, he is unable to make a final decision; he is perhaps unable to take responsibility for his decisions and his life, and instead just drifts along).

How, so far, does Southern racism seem to affect Grant and his character? (He is clearly angry, and he is clearly limited in his financial and vocational opportunities).

On page 30, Vivian asks Grant about his desire to leave. What are we to understand about Grant from the following question?

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“You told me then how much you always wanted to get away. And you did, once. …You went to California…but you wouldn’t stay. You couldn’t stay. You had to come back. Why did you come back, Grant? Why?”

(Perhaps that Grant suffers from paralysis—he wants to act, he wants to leave, but he doesn’t).

What does Gaines want us to know about Grant from the following interaction between him and Vivian?

“After the divorce I’ll do whatever you want me to do—as long as you’re responsible for what you do.” “In other words, if I fail, I would have to blame myself the rest of my life for trying, is that it?” (30)

(Perhaps that Grant suffers from paralysis—he wants to act, he wants to leave, but he doesn’t).

Considering Grant’s personality and his feelings about his life, who is in greater need of a lesson—Jefferson or Grant? (Open to debate).

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A Lesson Before Dying: Quiz and Discussion Prompts Chapter 5

Quiz Questions: Who avoids Grant early in the chapter, and early in the morning?

His aunt; Aunt Lou; Tante Lou

What hands from a ten foot bamboo pole in the corner of the white picket fence that surrounded the church? The children Grant teaches do something there at the chapter’s outset.

Flag; pledge allegiance.

Grant Wiggins strikes a boy with his ruler. In what subject (school subject) was the boy committing errors?

Math; multiplication

Wiggins makes a girl write multiple sentences on the board as punishment for an error in her writing. What was the error in her writing?

Slanted sentences; not straight lines.

Wiggins strikes a first grade boy on the head. What was the boy playing with?A bug; a red bug

Angry with their sub-par performance, Wiggins describes something in great detail to his students, this shocks them and causes one to cry. What does he describe to them?

Electric chair; how Jefferson will die.

Discussion Prompts:Note style of first paragraph: sparse, meditative, limited. What effect does this style have on the reader? (Open to debate).

He notes that he knows the performance of his students before they perform. He knows who will know their lessons, etc. How does this play into one of the book’s themes? (Fate vs. Free will; that perhaps there is no point to action) What comment (commentary) about the world is Gains, perhaps, making here. (That the wheels of life are in motion, and individual action is, perhaps, useless).

What do we think of his reaction to the student who incorrectly multiplies, or of the girl who writes a slanted sentence? What is Gaines trying to achieve here? (That grant had deep flaws).

What does Gaines establish by having Mr. Farrell say he doesn’t know what Henri Pichot wants, when Both Wiggins and Farrell do, in fact, know? And further, what is established by noting that Mr. Farrell is a talented tradesman, and an aged man, but must ask merely as a messenger to run errands? (Exposition: heavy toll of racism in Jim Crow South).

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A Lesson Before Dying: Quiz and Discussion Prompts Chapters 6 & 7

Quiz Questions: Wiggins stops by Miss Emma’s house and talks to Miss Emma and his Aunt on the way to Henri Pichot’s home. Who goes with Grant Wiggins on this trip to Pichot’s home?

No one; nobody; he goes alone.

What according to Inez, Pichot’s cook, are Pichot and Louis perhaps betting on?Whether Grant can get Jefferson ready to die in time; if Grant can make Jefferson into a man before he dies.

What irritates Grant, and is intended probably to irritate him, about the way he is received at his 5 O’clock appointment at Pichot’s home?

He is made to wait; he waits 2.5 hours; he comes in the back door

Evidently, the powerful white men at Pichot’s home come to feel that Grant Wiggins is too _____________for his own good. They perceive this through conversation with him.

Smart

What does the sheriff eventually decide about Miss Emma’s request?That Grant can visit Jefferson.

Grant states at the beginning of chapter seven that two things happened at the school before he visited Jefferson in Jail. Name either.

Superintendent visits school; school gets firewood

Grant posts a child outside the school to watch out for something. What is the child watching for?

Superintendent; car

What does Wiggins ask for that irritates the superintendent?Supplies: books, chalk, pencils, paper.

Discussion Prompts:Note: one of the white men is unnamed and called the fat man. The key man is Sam Guidry (the Sheriff).

What common assumptions does Gains rely on early in the novel about people, the world, and life? Some of these assumptions will have to be overturned in the novel. (perhaps that losers stay losers; perhaps that facing death, there is no time to change people. Perhaps that people don’t really change.)

Why does Pichot send for Grant at five if he won’t see him until after dinner, which doesn’t begin until 5:45? He ends up waiting nearly two and a half hours.

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What are we to make of Edna Guidry (the woman who comes back to the kitchen and greets Grant)? (She’s nice, but doesn’t really want responses to her questions; she does not really care about Grant or his family).

The Sheriff and others feel that it’s a waste of time for Grant to Visit Jefferson; is it? (Open to debate).

What predictions or inferences can we make about the outcome of the novel?

What are we to make of the superintendent’s visit? What purpose does this passage serve in the novel?

(demonstrates the grinding racism Wiggins has to work with—He notes how similar the superintendent’s examinations of the children’s teeth is to slave masters of the past. Also, we note that the superintendent does not adequately supply the black schools.

What is notable about his description? (He’s fat—like one of the men at Pichot’s) (But also, he’s out of shape, and he insists that the black children engage in work because it’s good exercise. Either hypocrisy or plain racism. He notes as he leaves that the kids should be picking pecans).

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A Lesson Before Dying: Quiz and Discussion Prompts Chapters 8, 9 & 10

Quiz Questions: What is delivered at beginning of chapter 8?

Firewood; wood; logs

Who does Grant remember and then ponder through the whole chapter? This is one person.His teacher; the mulatto teacher; the Creole teacher; Antoine

Why does the older teacher feel superior to Grant?He is light skinned; he’s mulatto; he’s mixed race.

Late in his life, Grant’s teacher complains about a physical sensation that he cannot remedy. What is this sensation?

Cold

What do Miss Emma and Grant discuss during their long drive together?Nothing; they don’t talk.

Where do they go?Bayonne; to visit Jefferson; jail

Name something specific that Miss Emma Brings Jefferson. Chicken, yams, teacakes, socks, shirt, jeans.

Who pretends to be sick in chapter 10?Miss Emma.

What does Grant give the other prisoners in the cell block each time he visits?Money; change

Discussion Prompts

Why does it bother Grant to see the kids enjoying physical labor? (It undermines his goal of improving the lives and social standing of his students—it suggests they will be just like their grandparents: poor.)

What does Gaines want us to make of Grant’ teacher, Antoine? (He is crushingly cynical. He has internalized racism and projects it upon himself an others. He is destroyed by racism and he now seeks to contaminate others with his cynicism.)

Can we forgive him for his bitterness? Is his hate his own fault? (Open to debate—we can probably forgive him his bitterness because he has endured crushing racism, but we probably cannot forgive him for attempting to spread his cynical beliefs to Grant.)

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Does it matter that his predictions seem to come true (that the kids will die, that they will be broken by racism)? (Open to debate)

Why does he hate Grant? (ingrained racism).

Does Grant hate his promising students as well? (He seems to dislike his students in general).

Why has Gaines made this teacher mixed race, a mulatto? What theme or message does he evoke with this choice? (a clear picture of the self hatred and ingrained nature of racism in South).

Note structure of the conversation between Grant and the dying teacher on pages 64-66. The dialogue is not broken down into paragraphs, as it should be. Why does Gaines break this grammatical rule here? What does he achieve? (seems to be an internal dialogue, rather than a conversation).

What is thematic about the description of courthouse?(Racism: separate and unequal bathrooms; confederate flag and statue of confederate soldier)

Jefferson states several times that it doesn’t matter. How does this fit in with the novel as a whole? (Both Jefferson and Grant seem to be disengaged from the world).

How do we feel about Grant’s bitterness in chapter 10? (Open to debate).

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A Lesson Before Dying: Quiz and Discussion Prompts Chapters 11 & 12

Quiz Questions: On his way into the jail, whose office does Grant visit for the first time since he’s been visiting Jefferson?

Sheriff

Jefferson asks if Grant brought a specific kind of food. It has to do with what the defense attorney called him. What food does Jefferson ask for?

Corn

Why does Jefferson put his head in the bag?To show how a hog eats; to be a hog.

Grant wishes to conceal the fact that Jefferson is not talking to Grant from someone at the Courthouse. He also wants to conceal it from Miss Emma. But who is it at the courthouse that he wants to fool, to beat?

The Sheriff

What baseball player are the men talking about at the bar?Jackie Robinson.

After spending some time at the bar, where does Grant go?To Vivian’s work, to the school in town; to the school where Vivian teaches.

Vivian leaves the room for a moment and gives Grant a task. What is he supposed to do while she talks to the principal?

Clean the chalkboard; erase the board.

Grant writes some translations on a chalkboard in what language?French

Discussion PromptsWhat does Jefferson’s emotional state and his concern about being called a hog tell us about him? (That he is crushed—that he has internalized the beliefs of the white, racist, community.)

Does Grant seem to be trying to work with Jefferson? (Not in a genuine way—me merely goes through the motions.)

What point does Gaines make with the discussion of the athletes (Jackie Robinson, and Joe Louis)? Why does the convict that Grant remembers reading about from Florida call out to Joe Louis as he is dragged to his death? Is there a religious element there? (The point here is that racism has allowed so few black people to rise to positions of prominence that all the hope is placed on athletes.)

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Grant seems bothered that there are only two high profile black heroes for the black community. Is he, himself, really stepping up to fill the role? (Superficially, he is a teacher. But since he puts no real effort in anything he does, we can't really give him credit for working for change.)

In life, should we look to heroes, or should we define our own route? What does Gaines seem to be saying?

How much of a role, so far, has religion played in this novel? What inference about Gaines and his message can we make from this? (Open to Debate.)

On page 93 Vivian says she can’t take the chance of losing her children to her husband (by going away for the night with Grant). On page 94 Grant wonders if the reason he, himself, doesn’t take a chance in leaving town due to love or –on the other hand—cowardice? What is the role of chance in the novel, and in life? (Open to debate. For the record, the existentialist believes that chance is a variable that exists all around us, all the time—however, the responsible individual still makes personal decisions and stands by them. )

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A Lesson Before Dying: Quiz and Discussion Prompts Chapters 13, 14 and 15

Quiz Questions: On what day of the week does chapter 13 take place? There is a flashback to Friday, but the rest of the chapter takes place on an easily identifiable (by the actions of his aunt) day.

Sunday

What did Grant Stop doing, or participating in, during his university years?Religion; church; Christianity

Who visits Grant out at his home in the Quarter?Vivian

Who is Molly Wiggins and Paul Wiggins, or Paulette Wiggins?Their potential children; the children they plan to have.

What did Vivian do that upset her family in Free LaCove?Married; married a dark skinned man.

Grant and his aunt argue briefly about who is going to make what? Ultimately, Grant makes it. Coffee.

Name something that Tante Lou questions Vivian about in the Kitchen?Her home; liking dark skinned people; church; marriage

Discussion Prompts: Grant seems to be bothered by everything in his community. He seems frustrated by all that surrounds him, yet he stays. Can we see this as a broader metaphor for life? What might Gaines be saying, beyond his discussion of the African American experience in the Jim Crow South? (Man’s battle with the human condition, the human experience).

Grant and Vivian walk around the quarter; it’s described as beautifully rustic and at the close of the chapter, they make love among the sugar cane fields. What might be Gaines’s message in his Eden-like descriptions of the quarter in this chapter? (Perhaps that Grant’s environment is bearable, even beautiful).

After making love, Vivian says, “I think something happened.” Then they discuss children’s names. Should they have children? (Open to debate, though he is unhappy at the moment and has many unresolved issues with his life.)

What does it tell us about Grant that he names his own unborn children, but never mentions Vivian’s existing children by name? (Open to debate, but at the least that he is self-interested; we see the same thing in his thoughts about Jefferson—he doesn't seem to have very much compassion or sympathy.)

After Grant’s Aunt gives Vivian the 3rd degree about class and skin-color, Vivian comments that she goes through the same thing with her family. Grant says that it is far from being the same thing, and

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she goes quiet. What does this tell us about Grant? (That he feels his unhappy predicament is unique; Also that her family's racism is worse than his family's nagging and small-mindedness.)

What do the ladies from the quarter mean by “Quality?” (Vivian is fair skinned). What does Gaines achieve by emphasizing the fact that Vivian has fair skin and that her family rejects those who are darker than themselves? (That racism has permeated the culture—both black and white.)

Is Vivian good for Grant—can she give him what he needs to develop as a person? Offer some examples to support your answer. (Open to debate.)

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A Lesson Before Dying: Quiz and Discussion Prompts Chapters 16, 17 and 18

Quiz Questions: Grant’s class prepares for Christmas. What was wrong with the tree that they used the year before?

Oak tree; Dirty; Mud; wrong kind of tree.

Who does Jefferson look at with hatred when he has visitors?The reverend; minister; Ambrose

Grant and another man, who Grant already sort of knows, formally introduce one another. The man’s name is Paul Bonin. Who is Paul Bonin?

The deputy; the jailer; the deputy at the jail

Who does Jefferson make a vulgar remark about, designed to upset Grant?Vivian; Grant’s girlfriend.

What does Jefferson knock all over the floor from his bed?Food

Who pressures the Sheriff to let Jefferson meet guests in a larger room?His wife; Miss Emma; Reverend Ambrose, Tante Lou

In Chapter 18, where do Miss Emma, Tante Lou, Reverend Ambrose and Jefferson meet: In the cell, the dayroom; the gym; or the field outside the jail?

The dayroom.

In Chapter 18, who does Grant go to see after meeting with Jefferson?Vivian; girlfriend.

Discussion Prompts:Paul and Grant, and then Grant and Jefferson discuss man’s confrontation with death. The idea here is that Jefferson is wrestling with his awareness of his own death—but by extension, we are all aware of our own death and we all have limited time to live. What responsibilities do we all have, knowing that we might die in any moment, and that eventually we will die? (Open to debate.)

What do we think of Grant’s argument that he has a responsibility to his Godmother, a responsibility to not make her sad? (It seems to work a bit on Jefferson, but it fails to get to the heart of the matter, which is that Jefferson must first respond to his own needs, so this is open to debate.)

What do we think of Jefferson’s response that he is going to die anyway, and that all people cry? (Of course, he is correct. However, if he chooses to do nothing and to make no effort in life because he is going to die, then he is deciding to be a nihilist. The forward momentum of the novel requires that he take responsibility for his life and make it meaningful, even if it has no meaning on its own. He is choosing to make his life meaningless.)

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Grant seems to make the case that he, too, might die at any time. Jefferson notes that this is not the same as knowing you will die very soon. Who’s correct? (They are both correct. Grant's argument is right, in a way, but he himself is not living his life as though he might die at any moment; he is not seizing the day and living as he really wishes to live.)

Note that Grant’s primary argument, to Jefferson, about responsibility is that he --Jefferson-- owes something to his Godmother. Does Grant follow his own advice? (Yes and no. Grant seems to want to leave town, to leave everything behind, but he does stay. It's hard to say if he stays out of his sense of responsibility for his Aunt because he puts so little effort in pleasing her and living up to her expectations).

What is Gaines’s message here, about humans in general? (Open to debate, but it's clear that Grant also needs to assume responsibility for his life and make some hard decisions. Just has Jefferson seems to have given up in Jail and merely passes the time before his death, Grant seems to have given up and is merely passing the time before his death.)

Why is Jefferson living up to the Defense attorney’s characterization? Why is he carrying this hog characterization so far? What, given everything else in the novel, is Gaines getting at here? (Open to debate, but perhaps the idea here is that racism is internalized by the victims of racism. We know that Grant's teacher had internalized the racism around him and had come to believe that as a light-skinned black man, he was superior to dark-skinned black men. Jefferson's Hog identity carries this idea further. It also carries the idea that we become what society expects of us, even if it is not in our best interest. )

How well does the setting here (jail, trial, racist community, limitation) work for Gaines’s message about what we do with our life? (Very well. As a metaphor, death row works well because we all have limited time to live and we all are aware of our own death. Jefferson will either decide to do something with his life or he will simply wait to die. This is the same for all of us: we either make our lives meaningful through action and decisions or we do not.)

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A Lesson Before Dying: Quiz and Discussion Prompts Chapters 19 and 20Quiz Questions:

What is the weather like during the Christmas pageant? Snowing, sleet, rain, unseasonable hot, or tremendously windy?

Rain

Miss Rita Lawrence always insisted on contributing something to the Christmas program and every time it was a _____________. Hers was never as white as those of the other contributors.

Sheet

Rita Lawrence has a big, evidently mentally retarded grandson. What does he love and always play with? He has them with him as he sits in the front row at the Christmas program.

Marbles

How do the kids in the program make the Star of Bethlehem? Flashlight

Why is Grant called back to Pichot’s house in chapter 20?

Because the execution date has been set.

What other black man is already at Pichot’s house when Grant arrives?The reverend; Reverend Ambrose

Who does Guidry, the Sheriff, send out to see Miss Emma? This person’s name is Sid.Doctor

What does Grant do when he leaves Pichot’s house. Goes for a long walk; walks along the river.

Discussion Prompts:Why might Gaines have included the dialogue from the whole Christmas program? (Perhaps to show the grammatical errors the students make, perhaps to make the point that change, in the quarter is slow and that Grant has his work set out for him. We see this at the end of chapter 19, at the end of the Christmas program, Grant is unhappy with what? (The slow pace of advancement for the black community).

Is there any significance to the execution date of April 8th [2nd Friday after Easter], or around Easter? Also, it’s on Friday. (Note Grant, discusses this explicitly on page 158) (Broadly, this is around the time Christ is crucified, so it introduces the metaphor of Christ's death).

“Twelve white men say a black man must die, and another white man sets the date and time …” (157). Might there be any significance to the number of jurors here? Why does Gaines have grant mention it in this context? (12 disciples; more Christian imagery). All this comes one chapter after the Christmas program.

Are there any other ways in which Jefferson is Christ-like? (Sentenced, innocently, to death by society. He is evoked, during the Christmas program, by the gift under the tree in chapter 19.)

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A Lesson Before Dying: Quiz and Discussion Prompts Chapters 21 and 22Quiz Questions:

Whose car does Grant see at Jefferson’s Godmother’s house as he approaches? This person stares Grant down when he enters, but Grant ignores him.

Reverend; Reverend Mose; Reverend Ambrose

Who visits Grant at his home immediately after Grant visits Miss Emma, Jefferson’s Godmother?

Vivian; his girlfriend

Who is in bed during this entire chapter? This person speaks a bit to at least two characters. Miss Emma; Jefferson’s Godmother.

Who, according to Vivian, is in love with Grant?Irene; his student teacher.

Grant promises to bring Jefferson two things. One of those things is something that Jefferson says he has never in his life had enough of. He wants a gallon of it. What is it?

Ice Cream; vanilla Ice Cream.

The other thing Grant promises Jefferson is not food, and he goes into town immediately after visiting Jefferson to borrow money to get it at Edwin’s department store. What is it?

Radio

Who lends him money to buy something for Jefferson?Claiborne and Thelma; the bar owner and he restaurant owner; the owners at the Rainbow Room

When Grant goes into Edwin’s department store to buy Jefferson something, he does not buy the model he sees on the shelf. He wants something further. What does he demand from the saleswoman?

A new one; a box.

Discussion Prompts:

What themes, ideas, or metaphors are evoked through Grant’s description of the fate of black men in chapter 21, especially the line, “So each time a male child is born, they hope he will be the one to change this vicious circle…” (167)? [Chapter ends with a pretty heavy description of how men in the black community tend to break, how they are expected to make up for 300 years of failure: presented in dialogue between Vivian and Grant.] (Open to debate, but one idea is that the African-American community awaits a savior—and this is reinforced though the constant references to Christmas, Easter, the church, and the minister. On a more literal level, the idea that the effects of slavery and racism persist for many generations.)

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If Grant understands the situation, and Miss Emma’s hope for a son who breaks the cycle, who dies like a martyr so well, why is he not more willing to work with Jefferson? (Open to debate, but figuratively, it shows that grant, too, is crushed by the past and feels that he cannot be the one to break out of the cycle. Incidentally, this is precisely what Grant needs to do—to take responsibility for his time on earth and make his life meaningful despite the limitations on his life.)

What seems to be Gaines’s message about responsibility to self and responsibility to community? Which side of the argument does the book, broadly, support? (Open to debate. Arguably, the book supports both sides. Some students will argue that we have a responsibility to others; some students will argue that the suggestion that we should do things for the benefit of other people is weak and that, instead, we should make meaning for ourselves.)

What is notable about the logical, or literary placement of the scene in which the saleswoman at Edwin’s department store makes Grant wait and otherwise attempts to humiliate him? What point does Gaines reinforce with this passage? (The white saleswoman at Edwin’s treats Grant poorly. A powerful contrast to the emotional transfer of money between Claiborne, Thelma, and Grant. We understand the selfless nature of Grant’s act; what he must endure seems more pronounced as a result.)

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A Lesson Before Dying: Quiz and Discussion Prompts Chapters 23 and 24Quiz:

When Miss Emma, Tante Lou, and Reverend Ambrose visit Jefferson, he refuses to leave his cell unless he can bring what?

The radio

In Chapter 23, where do Miss Emma, Tante Lou, Reverend Ambrose and Jefferson meet: In the cell, the dayroom; the gym; or the field outside the jail?

The cell.

Grant manages to get Jefferson to agree to talk to two people; he gets Jefferson to agree to meet with Jefferson’s Godmother, Miss Emma—but specifically to TALK to two people. One of those people is himself (Grant). Who is the other?

Reverend Ambrose; The Reverend; Reverend Mose

At the end of Grant’s visit to Jefferson [at the end of chapter 23] Jefferson says something to Grant that brings Grant tremendous joy, and results in Grant’s clasping Jefferson’s hand. What is it that Jefferson says to Grant?

Thank the children for the Pecans; thank the children; “Tell-tell the chirren thank you for the pe-pecans” (186).

Who begins eating before grace is spoken at lunch?Grant

Who refuses, at first, to eat the gumbo?Jefferson

What, while Grant walks with Jefferson in the day room, does Grant tell Jefferson that he can become. He states that he, himself, can never become one of these, but that Jefferson can.

A Hero; hero

What, while Grant and Jefferson walk in the dayroom, special favor does Grant ask Jefferson to do for his Godmother, Emma?

To eat her food; eat the Gumbo; become a hero

As part of Grant’s rhetorical speech to Jefferson, he offers an analogy. He mentions that Mr. Farrell carves things out of wood. What does Mr. Farrell, according to Grant’s speech, carve from wood?

Slingshot; slingshot handle.

Discussion Prompts: In chapter 23, the sheriff questions, even scolds, the reverend for not taking an active part in counseling Jefferson. The reverend states that his duty is to stand by sister Emma; the sheriff asks him: and what about Jefferson, what about his soul?” (180). Since the Reverend and Grant appear to be at odds, who would we say is doing more authentic good, in the story? (Open for debate.)

How much of an accomplishment is it for Grant when he gets Jefferson to discuss how he, Jefferson, has never had enough ice cream, never had anything of his own and that he would

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like the radio? Does this conversation mean that Grant has accomplished his mission? (Open to debate, but the mission is not accomplished. Getting Jefferson to open up about his sorrow is only one step on the road to making Jefferson stand up like a man. He will have to accept that no own owes him any ice cream or, in fact, owes him anything before he can stand on his own.)

Is there a deeper, symbolic, level to the argument between Grant and the Reverend about the radio, about personal freedom vs. living up to the expectations of others? Note that earlier, Grant was the one arguing for meeting expectations. (This is the fundamental argument between Platonic [religious] and Existential thinking. The Platonic [religious] worldview states that we live for others [often, this other is God], while the Existential worldview states that we live and act so as to make our own lives meaningful in an otherwise meaningless world. Grant has not accepted responsibility for his role in the world, so he is not an existentialist, but he also rejects the Reverend's suggestion that Jefferson should live so as to please others. This is evidence that Grant has just as much to learn as Jefferson and that the novel's story arch is not yet complete.)

Why is it so amazing to Grant when Jefferson says “tell-tell the chirren thank you for the pe-pecans” (186)? What insight does this give us into Jefferson’s progress? (It shows he is thinking about others, and about his impact [the thank you] on the world.)

On page 186, Jefferson mentions the statute of the Confederate soldier for about the 5th time. Why is this image so often evoked and repeated? (Gaines highlights the racist world that Grant and Jefferson must navigate. It also functions as a metaphor for the world—all of us [or, most of us, anyway] have to navigate a hostile world while we create meaning with our lives. Grant's world of the pre-civil-rights south)

Grant tells Jefferson that Jefferson can become a hero, but that he, himself, could not. What rhetorical [persuasive] devices can we identify in Grant's persuasive speech? [191- 193] (offers an analogy—the slingshot; he appeals to Jefferson's sense of family and community; he uses rhetorical questions; he uses parallelism; he uses repetition; he contrasts himself with Jefferson)

Also, note how it comes quickly on the heels of the Reverend’s long prayer over lunch. Is there any significance to the contrast or juxtaposition of the two speeches? (Open to student suggestions.)

“And that’s all we are, Jefferson, all of us on this earth , a piece of drifting wood, until we—each one of us, individually—decide to become something else”(193). Agree or disagree? (this is a Quick Write in the folder). Is this statement true? Is it true that we only acquire value when we decide to participate in a meaningful way in life, or do we have inherent value simply because we are human? (This is the Existential crux of the novel—it is the lesson that both Jefferson and Grant must learn before becoming “men,” before reaching their potential.)

“I cry, not from reaching any conclusion by reasoning, but because, lowly as I am, I am still part of the whole” (194). These are Grant’s words, an interpretation of Jefferson’s tears. Is he correct, can Jefferson still be a part of the whole? Does an act of defiance, even in the face of implacable death, make us part of the whole, make us matter? In other words, is it our actions, and not our being that makes us matter? (Open to interpretation, but Gaines's novel seems to suggest that yes, it's our actions that define us.)

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A Lesson Before Dying: Quiz and Discussion Prompts Chapters 25 and 26Quiz Questions:

There are two mulatto men in the bar, The Rainbow Room, who antagonize, and eventually get into a fight with Grant. What do they do for a living?

Bricklayer; brick work

In what area have Grant and Vivian been having trouble? Grant feels that this will improve now that he is making progress with Jefferson.

In Bed; sex

Which guy does Grant primarily fight: the fat guy, the guy with a wandering eye, the tall guy, or the freaky ripped dude?

The tall guy.

Whose voice does Grant hear when he wakes from being knocked out?Vivian’s; his girlfriend’s

Who knocked Grant out in chapter 25 (the answer comes in chapter 26)?Claiborne; the bar owner; the bartender

Who does Grant get into an argument with in chapter 26?Vivian

Vivian’s husband will only grant the divorce if he can do what every weekend?See the kids

What does Grant do after staring out into the darkness through Vivian’s screen door?Returns to the house; returns to Vivian; rests his head in her lap

Discussion Prompts:

What seems to be the point of this chapter? (Grant starts out feeling great about progress with Jefferson, then overhears the bricklayers talking smack about Jefferson; Grant ends up getting into a fight with the bigger one. All throughout the fight, Grant notes the conflicted life of the Mulatto with whom he fights; he notes his self hatred and his hatred of those darker then himself.)

“You could have walked out of there.” “’Can Jefferson walk out of where he is?” (205)

Is this a logical argument; does this argument work? What are we to make of it?

What is Vivian’s role in the text? What does her character achieve? (she’s beginning to play the role that Grant plays to Jefferson, but to Grant. She tends to argue that there is meaning in personal decisions and choices in life. Note her argument about Grant’s ability to walk away

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from the fight, when he states that he has no choice. Earlier, she had argued that staying out with Grant all night was a chance she would not take.)

At the end of chapter 26, is there any symbolism or significance to Grant’s looking out into the darkness of the night, through the screen door and then returning to Vivian’s lap? (Darkness equals chaos, death, oblivion. How do we battle chaos, death, and oblivion? Decisions, action, perhaps. Note that up until this point, Grant has been disconnected from his community and life. Now, he is genuinely involved in Jefferson's transformation; now he is making himself useful. Symbolically, this moment of peering out into darkness and then returning to Vivian is an Existential moment where he decides to be connected to his world, and to make his world meaningful through his decisions, rather than to remain disconnected in a meaningless world—represented by the darkness. )

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A Lesson Before Dying: Quiz and Discussion Prompts Chapters 27 and 28Quiz Questions:

Chapter 27 opens with Grant gazing out into his Aunt’s garden, where he focuses on a stack of poles. What plant, or crop, are those poles designed to support?

Beans

The Reverend confronts Grant in chapter 27. Specifically, where do the two meet?Grant’s room

The Reverend specifically wants Jefferson to do something on the day of his execution. Grant has been told his task is to make Jefferson stand and walk tall to the chair. What does the Reverend want to add to that? What does the Reverend want to see Jefferson also do on the day of his execution?

Kneel; fall to his knees.

Grant tells the Reverend that he refuses to do something any more; the Reverend states that he, himself, does this and that so does Grant’s Aunt, and that doing this is necessary to get through life. What is it?

Lie; lying

Grant says he believes in God. But what does he say he does not believe in?Heaven

What kind of music does Jefferson seem to Favor. One would think is would be Blues, but it is not. What kind of music plays on his radio when Grant enters the cell in Chapter 28? It has been previously discussed in earlier chapters.

Country; cowboy music

Roughly speaking, how much time does Jefferson have before the execution date?Two weeks.

Grant offers to bring Jefferson something else; something to help him write. What does he offer and plan to bring now?

Pencil sharpener.

Discussion Prompts: The Reverend asks Grant if he ever thinks of anybody but himself. Is this a valid criticism of Grant? What does it imply, philosophically? (It is valid, especially since Grant has, up until the chapter 24, not made much effort to be part of his word or to have a meaningful impact on the world. At this point in the story, though, Grant is thinking about others. He is thinking about Jefferson's ability to be a hero for the black community.)

The Reverend lashes out at Grant in Grant’s room, chastising Grant for not noticing the pain all around the quarter, for not noticing the wounds on his Aunt’s hands and knees—evidence of her physical labor to pay for his education. Grant says he no longer wishes to lie; the Reverend states that lying is necessary to get through life. Who seems to have the better argument; who do you side with here? (Open to debate. They are both working for the good of the community, but coming at the task from different angles.)

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What does is mean that Grant believes in God but not in Heaven? (Open to debate—the answer is clarified later in the text.)

What seems to be happening to Jefferson as he approaches death? (Fear, but also intellectual development, philosophical growth; a reckoning of his life.)

What is different about Jefferson in this chapter? (He stands up straight, he looks Grant in the eye and challenges Grant to be stronger and to confront reality along with Jefferson; they seem to be exchanging roles.)

Why does Grant seem to be losing his composure in these two chapters? What is he doing wrong or what is he confronting that is difficult? What flaws are being exposed? (He seems to have become a student: first to Vivian, then to The Reverend, and now to Jefferson; he seems himself to be coming to see the value of life in the form of others, family, community.)

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A Lesson Before Dying: Quiz and Discussion Prompts Chapters 30 and 31 (end of book)

Quiz Questions: Where does Grant’s Tante Lou spend the night?

Miss Emma’s; Jefferson’s Godmother’s

What does the black truck bring?The electric chair; the chair.

Jefferson offers his Radio as a gift for Paul, but Paul says he cannot accept it. What gift does Paul accept from Jefferson?

Marble

What is the last thing Jefferson asks Paul, when they speak at the end of chapter 30? This is just after Jefferson has been shaved in preparation for the electrocution.

Are you going to be there?

What does Grant make the Children in his class do from noon until__________?Kneel; pray; kneel and pray

What creature comes and goes to and from a hill of bull grass and symbolically tells Grant that the execution has passed?

Butterfly

Who drives out to the quarter to tell Grant that Jefferson walked with strength to the chair?

Paul

What does Paul offer to Grant, beyond the diary? Help; friendship; his hand

What does Grant do in the final sentence of the novel, as he faces the children in the church?

Cries

Discussion Prompts: Shift in perspective of narrator; we go from person to person on the morning of the execution. Why? (Open for debate—to relate the execution more directly.)

Does the chair, and the truck (it’s black) serve as some form of symbolism? (Death is traditionally associated with the color black.)

Someone in the courthouse notes that “The lord died between 12 and 3.” Why mention this? (To solidify the idea that Jefferson is a Christ figure.)

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What role has Paul come to play in this novel? Why does Gaines include him? (The understanding white man; a man who foreshadows the future, post-civil-rights south.)

“Have I done anything to make you not believe? If I have, please forgive me for being a fool. For at this moment, what else is there?” Is this an admission of religion, or something else? Who does Grant ask forgiveness of? (He is seemingly asking forgiveness for being so inactive, so disconnected. He has been the piece of wood, but not the slingshot, up until now.)

What does this passage suggest? “My faith is in you, Jefferson” (249). (Open for debate; perhaps that Grant is still not religious, but that he now has faith in humanity and sees purpose in trying to make life better. He sees that there is a potential purpose to life—in others.)

The butterfly comes to the hill of bull grass, (a place that offers it nothing) and then flies into the quarter. Grant sees this as a symbol that the execution has occurred. What else might the butterfly, or its path, symbolize? (Open for debate; Grant, himself).

In the end, Jefferson walks straight and tall to his death. What messages can we take from this beyond the significance to this particular story? (That even in the worst of scenarios, we call have a choice about how to act, how to behave. Jefferson has chosen to make meaning out of absurdity. This is the central message of the book—we make meaning out of chaos.)

Why does Gaines end the story with conversation between Paul and Grant? Why Paul, and not the Reverend or Pichot? (Open for debate; to foreshadow better race relations in the future.)

Who is this story about? Paul, Grant, Jefferson, the Reverend, Vivian? (Open for debate.)

Is it important that Grant cries at the conclusion? What does it signify? (That he has been changed though his epiphany. Not only has he come to understand that we have to make ourselves meaningful, and that we can make ourselves meaningful, but he has also shed his defensive cynicism.)

What is Gaines primary message in the novel? (We each have to make ourselves meaningful, and that we can make ourselves meaningful though our actions—even when we are facing death. That we are responsible for our own lives; that we need to matter, and that requires being connected in the world.)

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