must face. In the novel A Lesson Before Dying, Earnest J. Gaines tells a story of

the growing bond between a young, mentally disabled black man, Jefferson,

convicted of robbery and murder he is not at fault for, and a middle aged black

school teacher, Grant, who feels trapped in his small plantation community but

lacks the courage to break away. Even though the novel's main theme is learning a

lesson racism and segregation still loom in the background. In the small town of

Bayonne, racism is a way of life.

In the town of Bayonne racism runs deep. Even the towns structure exhibits

racism. Segregation permeates the town. At the front of town, blacks are nowhere

to be seen. In Bayonne, blacks were not good enough to be at the front to be seen...