ONLINE CHAPTER SUMMARY AND NOTES - A Lesson Before Dying

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Summary

It was cold and rainy the day of the Christmas program. Despite the weather, there was a good turnout. When Reverend Ambrose opened with prayer he asked God to bless the unbelievers, meaning Grant. The children sang Christmas songs and read poems. They had also decorated a little pine tree a placed a single gift underneath it. Grant had instructed the children to dedicate their performance to Jefferson, and the gift was a sweater and wool socks for him. Last of all was the Nativity pageant, with a white alabaster doll as the Christ child. Afterwards, the children lined up back stage to hear what Grant thought of the performance. He remarked that it had all gone well, but inside he was not happy. The play had been the same this year as it was every year. The play involved the same mistakes in grammar, the same costumes, refreshments, and people. He knew next year that it would be the same still. Vivian believed things were changing, but Grant couldnÂ’t see how they were changing. He stood alone and looked at the present under the tree.

Notes

The Christmas program symbolizes the hopeless outlook of black life in the South. Despite his efforts, Grant sees that these children will have lives exactly like their parents, who had lives exactly like their parents. He feels there is little point in continuing to teach if black will always be uneducated field workers and second-class citizens. These reflections haunt and isolate Grant, he sits by himself with a plate of food while everyone else mingles together.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Summary

In February, Grant was grading papers in the school when Farrel Jareau entered and informed him that he was wanted at the Pichot house right away. Grant left a student in charge and walked up to the house. When he arrived he found Reverend Ambrose already waiting in the kitchen. A few minutes later the Sheriff arrived and Inez (the maid) came into the kitchen to say they need to go up front. In his whole life, Grant had never been in any other room but the kitchen. He and the Reverend sat down on the couch as the Sheriff informed them that the Governor had set the date. Jefferson would be executed the second Friday after Easter. Sheriff Guidry had already informed Jefferson, who took the news calmly. Grant would still be allowed to visit the prison, but was warned to avoid aggravating Jefferson.

On the ReverendÂ’s recommendation, the Sheriff calls to ask Dr. Gillory to visit Miss Emma after she received the news. During the phone conversation, Grant ponders how Jefferson came to be sentenced to death the same time as the Savior. As they left, Reverend Ambrose headed to Miss EmmaÂ’s house, but Grant was not ready to face her. He began walking down to the river, and didnÂ’t return home until it was almost dark.

Notes

Grant is constantly complaining that helping Jefferson gives the white men an opportunity to humiliate him. Yet when Sheriff Guidry needs to inform Grant and Reverend Ambrose about the date of execution, Henri Pichot brings the two black men from the kitchen into his living room. This is an unprecedented show of respect, which elevates the status of both men. Furthermore, JeffersonÂ’s execution date is close to Easter-time, hinting that he is to be a Savior-like figure to the people in the quarter.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Summary

That night when Grant arrived at Miss EmmaÂ’s house it was crowded with people, but Miss Emma was in bed. He went into her bedroom to ask how she was, but she didnÂ’t answer. Reverend Ambrose was sitting at the table, and Grant guessed he and his Aunt had been talking about him. He went home to eat his dinner, and while he was sitting at the table he saw Vivian coming up to the door. They lay together on the bed for a while before deciding they should go back to Miss EmmaÂ’s house together. Vivian entered Miss EmmaÂ’s bedroom and whispered something into the old womanÂ’s ear that made her smile. Irene Cole, on of GrantÂ’s students, gave Vivian both a cup of coffee and a jealous look. Back in the bedroom, Miss Emma pleaded with Grant and Reverend Ambrose to work together, since she wouldnÂ’t be able to go back to the jail for a while.

Vivian and Grant left the house and drove down to the Rainbow Club in Bayonne. As soon as they got their drinks Vivian mentioned she thought Irene Cole was in love Grant. He replied that lots of women in the quarter were in love with him, and probably didnÂ’t appreciate an outsider taking him away from them. He explained that all black women simply want a man who will stand up for them, a man they can be proud of. In Grant these women see an educated man who can give them something their father and grandfathers never could, but by trying to hold on to him, they will break him. His only option is to run away, like others before him. Only Jefferson can break that cycle.

Notes

GrantÂ’s explanation attempts to give the black womenÂ’s perspective of the cruel dilemma that confronts all black men in the South. If they stay with their women, they are broken by racism and cruelty and fail to be men any longer. If they run away they abandon their women to raise the next generation of men alone. Because he is educated, Grant feels the weight of the hops of all the women in the quarter. He considers himself unable to live up to these expectations. But because there are almost not expectations for Jefferson, perhaps he can achieve something Grant could not if he goes to the chair like a man.

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