A Lesson Before Dying By Ernest J Gaines

A Lesson Before Dying By Ernest J. Gaines

Setting=Background The story takes place in and outside the fictional town of Bayonne, Louisiana in the 1940’s Louisiana is known as the Bayou State because of its many bayous (slow-moving streams that go through marshes and lowlands) The state produces petroleum, natural gas, crayfish, and Tabasco sauce Farmland covers 1/3 of the land cotton is the leading farm product Sweet potatoes and tomatoes are the most valuable vegetable crops

More Setting=Background In the 1940’s South, everything was segregated. This means that minorities and whites lived, ate, went to school, and socialized in separate places. All minorities were expected to be respectful to whites, not talk back, avoid eye contact, and not appear too educated.

Point of View= How the story is told The novel is written in first person narrative It is told from Grant Wiggins’s perspective The author often uses dialect or realistic language to show the people talk/sound Examples of dialect: ax/ask, youmans/humans, ‘tato/potato Also some French terms are used like tante=aunt and parain or nannan=godparents.

Characters Grant. Wiggins =the narrator and a teacher Jefferson = the young man on trial for murder Tante Lou= Grant’s aunt Miss Emma=Jefferson’s godmother Mr. Henri Pichot= rich man who Emma and Tante Lou worked for Vivian=teacher and Grant’s girlfriend

Themes=Why should we care about this story? The book asks us to question many things like the following: How can education provide opportunities for people? Do we really know the power of words and how they affect others? Is self-respect important? What would you be willing to stand up for in life? Do you have empathy? In other words are you able to “walk in someone else’s shoes” to understand how they feel?