Study Questions & Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. Why is Grant
initially so reluctant to help Jefferson?
2. How is Grant
able to help Jefferson?
3. Why do you
think we never meet Vivian's children? What does their absence from
the novel say about Grant and his relationship with Vivian?
4. Why do you
think Gaines chose Grant to narrate the novel? Why didn't he choose
an omniscient, third-person to narrate the story?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. Why does Reverend Ambrose
call Grant uneducated?
2. How does Jefferson change
Grant's life? How does Grant change Jefferson's life?
3. To what degree does Jefferson
control his own transformation?
4. Is Jefferson a hero? Is Grant?
5. How does Jefferson compare
to other inspirational figures in this novel (Jackie Robinson, Joe
Louis, Jesus Christ)? How does Grant compare to them?
