A Lesson Before Dying

A Lesson before Dying, by Ernest J. Gaines is a moving, powerful novel about a black individual put on death row for a crime he did not commit. Overall, I thought the book was very inspiring and well written, but had its drawbacks. The novel is set in the 1940's, where Jefferson and two of his companions, rob a local store. Everybody was killed except Jefferson, the only man who did not fire a single …

…and powerful but are at times overshadowed by other conflicts and events in the novel. Too much detail is being paid to Grant and the rest of the town and not enough to Jefferson and his struggles. Despite the Jefferson's triumph in the end, I felt a little let down. We see him win, but the variety of conflicts in the novel did not allow us to see the whole battle, just bits and pieces.