Canon Valerie Ambrose The Rev. Miss Rita Lawrence Rita Lawrence is an older woman from the quarter and something of a busybody. Irene and my aunt know that one day I will leave them, but they are not about to let me go without a fight. I know they done cheated themself, lied to themself—hoping that one they all love and trust can come back and help relieve the pain. She is married and has two children, but is in the process of divorcing her husband. Do you want she told me when I sat on the bed? He tries talking about Miss Emma and the pain Jefferson causes her. Jefferson connects only with Grant, and this person cannot convince Grant to attempt to save Jefferson's soul.
It would destroy their myth. Jefferson asks if Miss Emma or even Grant would go to the chair to save him. Many whites have not received this high of an education, and are offended by his intelligence. Grant offers to bring Jefferson a little notebook so that he can write down any thoughts that come to his mind, and Jefferson agrees to the plan. Gaines' novel, A Lesson Before Dying, it is easy to see how religion impacts the community. Ambrose, education represents an opportunity to gain knowledge and entails a responsibility to use that knowledge to help others.
He hurries to his room. No, his peers did not judge him, and I will not believe. So each time a male child is born, they hope he will be the one to change this vicious circle - which he never does. In Chapter 1, Jefferson's defense attorney asks the jury to spare -Jefferson's life by implying it would be cruel to kill a man no more intelligent or moral than a hog. Ambrose wants Jefferson to kneel to show his allegiance to the law he violated.
Thelma Claiborne Joe's wife, Thelma Claiborne, manages the Rainbow Club. I am still that piece of drifting wood, and those out there are no better. Grant says he cannot lie to Jefferson by pretending to believe in heaven or the Bible. They find him lying down on his bunk, staring at the wall and listening to music. Analysis As Grant and Rev. Summary It is Sunday, and Grant is in his room, grading papers and listening to the music coming from the church.
Grant Wiggins - The protagonist and narrator of the novel, an elementary school teacher in his mid-twenties. She took in Grant when his parents moved away and became a mother figure to him. Morgan's inspection and slave masters' inspections. Joseph Morgan The superintendent of schools in St. They make love on the field, concealed by the cane.
He discovers that Claiborne, unable to stop the fight, knocked him out, and that Vivian brought him here to recover. The black man's illiteracy caused them to believe that they were less civilized than the whites. Griffin A tall mulatto bricklayer. He wants me to feel guilty, just as he wants her to feel guilty. Before, he challenged Grant solely on religious grounds, insulting him as a secular teacher.
For Grant, education means employment and an escape from the grinding poverty of his community. I lie at wakes and funerals to relieve pain. But, as the teacher, he also has a duty to share what he knows about life with the people of the quarter. Ambrose Academy, was founded at the same time as the college and housed in the college's buildings. Her occasional remarks reveal her to be a spiritual woman, motivated by a powerful faith in God and in his good works.
Ambrose University at the direction of the Board of Directors. He brings a big bag of nuts that his students gathered for Jefferson. Grant is annoyed with Ambrose, and gets up to leave. He wants Grant to help him teach Jefferson about God, but Grant no longer believes in the church and refuses to help the reverend. This move provided additional space on campus for continued growth of the college. Wiggins improved as a person greatly in this book, and that helped his relationships… 730 Words 3 Pages people we interact with as well.
As Grant leaves, Jefferson asks him with some hesitation to thank the children for the nuts. Antoine hated teaching and hated his students. He fears of committing himself to a fight he cannot win. He asks Jefferson if he is hungry. Many of his friends have died, mostly as a result of violence. A message preached at Reverend Morris Wanje's memorial service, Ridgeways Baptist Church, Nairobi. She wants it to happen so in case she ever gets out of her bed again, she can go to that little church there in the quarter and say proudly, 'You see, I told you - I told you he was a man.