"This majestic, moving novel is an instant classic, a book that will be read, discussed ad taught beyond the rest of our lives."

--- from The Chicago Tribune

1. All the characters in A Lesson Before Dying are motivated by a single word: "hog." Jefferson’s attorney has compared him to a hog; Miss Emma wants Grant to prove that her godson is not a hog; and Jefferson at first eats the food she has sent him on his knees, because "that’s how a old hog eat." How are words used both to humiliate and to redeem the characters in this novel?
   
   
2. Grant’s task is to affirm that Jefferson is not a hog, but a man. The mission is doubly difficult because Grant isn’t sure he knows what a man is. What definition of manhood, or humanity, does A Lesson Before Dying provide? Why is manhood a subversive notion within the book’s milieu?
   
   
3. At various points in the book Gaines draws analogies between Jefferson and Jesus. One of the first questions Jefferson asks his tutor concerns the significance of Christmas: "That’s when He was born, or that's when he died?" Jefferson is executed eight days after Easter. In what other ways is this parallel developed? In particular, discuss the scriptural connotations of the word "lesson."
   
   
4. Jefferson isn’t guilty of any murders, yet he’s convicted. How would the story be different if he had been guilty? How would Wiggins have approached his tutoring differently? How much is "innocent until proven guilty" really practiced in America?
   
   
5. Wiggins lives in a world where much of what needs to be said gets communicated with looks, not words, and never gets spoken of directly. Why is that? How does all that indirection affect Wiggins? And would the communication be freer if the story were set today?
   
   
6. Wiggins believes that a black man in America has no options but anger and violence, but Vivian disagrees. What does she want? Who has a more accurate picture of life for black men today?
   
   
7. "A Lesson Before Dying" is, among other things, a Christian allegory. Who among the characters plays the part of Jesus Christ? Who plays the part of Judas Iscariot? Of Pontius Pilate? Of Simon Peter? Of Paul?
   
   
8. Much of the story centers on the racism Wiggins and Jefferson face. How do different white characters view Wiggins and Jefferson? How does their behavior make a difference? And how would Jefferson’s story be played out today?
   
   
9. Why hasn’t Wiggins left the plantation quarter? Would the ties to community be different today?

“This book was one of the saddest books I have ever read. I think because it forces us to look at two issues we would rather not think about. One is the death penalty and the other is racism.”.........kiwi lady


“I felt the book was very well written, and the message was very clearly presented. The impact it had on me was to continue to do what I have done for years...see the person within”. ..............................Bobbie


“I am so glad this book was chosen. I give the person or persons who picked it a special bow. I am glad it will be archived. One day I will enjoy rereading it.”...........Hattie