I finished re-reading Ernest J. Gaines' novel, A Lesson Before Dying, about three weeks ago. Since then, I've attended three events connected with the Roanoke Valley's Big Read initiative. My book review of Mr. Gaines' thought-provoking novel can be summed up in one word: ambiguous.
Was Jefferson guilty or not guilty? Reread Chapter 1. Ambiguous.
Were Tante Lou and Miss Emma bossy, overbearing, sweet, concerned, afraid, or just plain desperate? Ambiguous.
Grant as the protagonist? Ambiguous.
Grant's feelings about being a teacher to young Black children in the 1940s. He almost constantly expresses hopelessness, helplessness, defeat. Yet he runs a one room school house with a precision that most modern teachers would envy. Ambiguous.
Does Grant teach Jefferson to be a man? Ambiguous.
Vivian as Grant's love interest? A married woman with children who is so light-skinned she could be white. Ambiguous.
Paul, the sympathetic white deputy struggling with a sense of fairness and a loyalty to institutionalized discrimination. Ambiguous.
The death penalty. Gaines seems to step aside and let us judge as the portable electric chair is brought to town. Ambiguous.
A Lesson Before Dying, a novel of ambiguities. A great choice for a community read.
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