A Lesson Before Dying

Grant drives to Bayonne and remembers the stark racial segregation marked by establishments for “white” and “colored.” Grant meets up with his girlfriend, Vivian Baptiste, at the Rainbow Club, where he tells her about what his aunt and Miss Emma want him to do for Jefferson. At first, Grant wants her to run away with him, but Vivian convinces him that their “commitment” to teaching requires them to stay for now, especially until she finalizes her divorce, and they can truly be together. Grant questions whether he will be able to show Jefferson how to die like a man when he himself has not yet figured out how to live like one. Vivian responds by affirming the request to meet with Jefferson. She says Grant must do it for her and for them as much as for Jefferson.

Grant returns to teaching at the plantation church school. He is not in a good mood and spends the day disciplining students with his Westcott ruler. He laments the futility of his job, not believing that his teaching will change the circumstances of any of the families of the students.