Alesson before dying literature question
jefferson and grant must both take a spiritual, intellectual, and emotional journey to discover what role they are meant to play in life. throughout their journeys, they are accompanied by communities, large and small, of people who either or hinder them as they move toward their destination. what are these communities, and how does each or hinder the two men? your analysis should also explore how the communities represent this particular moment in american society—a society that is fractured by issues of race.

At the beginning of the novel, Grant holds himself aloof from the people in the quarter because he is more educated than they are, and longs to move to the North with Vivian. However, Jefferson teaches him that dignity is intrinsic and not tied to education. After teaching Jefferson, Grant knows that his job as a schoolteacher is vital and important, and his self-esteem is based on that rather than his college degree.Grant believes that the women from the quarter are possessive because Southern black men have only two options: to lose their dignity at the hands of white men, or to flee the region and live in the North. According to Grant, women are waiting for a black man who can retain his dignity while also being a good husband and father in the South. He seems to believe that men bear the brunt of racism's effects, while women escape the worst suffering and still expect men to provide for them.