A Lesson Before Dying

Grant’s major conflict arises from his fear of failure.  At first, Grant is reluctant to help Jefferson. He sees Jefferson state as being hopeless since he is in a poor mental state and emotionally and feel that his efforts to lift his spirits would be futile. Because of this fear…

In this book by Ernest J. Gaines, Grant Wiggins has been a teacher for many years in Bayonne, Louisiana. Jefferson is sentenced to death for murder. Jefferson insists on his innocence. His defense is that he was going to the bar before he changed his mind and walked with two…