The mission is doubly difficult because Grant isn't sure he knows what a man is. At various points in the book Gaines draws analogies between Jefferson and Jesus. Jefferson is executed eight days after Easter. For all the book's religious symbolism, the central character is a man without faith. Grant's refusal to attend church has deeply hurt his aunt and antagonized Reverend Ambrose, whose religion Grant at first dismisses as a sham.
Women play a significant role in the book.
Examine the scenes between Grant and Tante Lou, Grant and Vivian, and Jefferson and Miss Emma, and discuss the impetus that Gaines's women provide his male characters. A Lesson Before Dying is concerned with obligation and commitment. Discuss this theme as it emerges in the exchanges between Emma Glenn and the Pichots, Grant and Vivian, and Grant and the Reverend Ambrose. Like Faulkner and Joyce, Gaines has been acclaimed for his evocation of place. Before Dying his accomplishment is all the more impressive because of the book's brevity.