A Lesson Before Dying

A detailed Summary of A Lesson Before Dying

Ganes, Earnest J. A Lesson Before Dying. New York: Vintage Books

Setting: The story is set in a small Cajun Louisiana town in the 1940's.

The setting in this story is significant because, the whole story is about how a young black boy is treated unfairly and sentenced to death because of something he did not do. It also deals with the emotions that this black boy faces because he has been treated unfairly by the white people.

Major Characters: Jefferson, black boy who is accused of a crime and sentenced to death; Grant Wiggons, teacher sent to help Jefferson.

After he went and obtained a college degree, Grant Wiggins goes back to live with his grandmother. Being that he is a very educated person, Grant was elected by his grandmother to try and get Jefferson to realize that he was a man and not an animal like the white people had led him to believe. Throughout the entire novel, Grant is battling this idea in his head because he doesn't feel that even he knows what it is to be a man. He doesn't believe that he is the right person to talk to Jefferson. But by the end of the novel, he figures out what it is to be a man.

Minor Characters: Miss Emma is Jefferson's grandmother. She is the one who h

Title: The title of the novel is significant because it goes along with the theme. Jefferson needs to know that he is a man and not a hog, that is the lesson he must learn before dying.

Structure: The structure of this book is sequential. The events are chronological, and everything is told in the way that Grant sees it.

Mood: The mood of this novel is sad. The way that the author portrays how racism hurts everyone makes you sympathize with the people involved in the conflict.

Major Strength: The major strength in this novel was the fact that Ganes was able to present such a terrible subject in such a touching way. He was able to use the text to open people's eyes.

Use of language: ganes uses a lot of southern dialogue in this novel. He makes the dialogue fit the person who is speaking, for example Grant Wiggins, who is a very educated person, speaks with intelligence. "The public defender trying to get him off, called him a dumb animal" (page 31) Jefferson, who is an uneducated Negro, speaks like a real southerner. "its evenin an I done eat my rice an beans an I done had my cup of milk and the sun comin in the windo...bout all for now" (226). Although they are from the same little town, Ganes makes them speak in different ways to distinguish the fact that one is educated and the other is not.

Method of Characterization: Ganes uses mostly indirect characterization to reveal the things he wants the reader to see. Especially with Grant because we can see his thought and analyze his character through what he thinks and says.

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Approximate Word count = 1266
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels