A Lesson Before Dying Characters

Teacher of The YearProfessor Wiggins, as he's called, is the most educated black man in the quarter. He's been to the university and come back home to teach at the same school that he went to growi...

Two Bad ApplesJefferson is a kid with really bad luck. He skips a hunting trip one day and ends up with two bad-news guys at a liquor store instead. They try to rob the place, the owner turns the g...

Like a RockA big, sweet, old woman, Miss Emma has taken care of Jefferson his whole life as his godmother (or as they say in Louisiana, nannan). Before that she was the cook and housekeeper on a pl...

A Tough CookieA tough old lady who doesn't show her love through hugs and kisses, but rather through cooking and scolding, Tante Lou not only raised Grant, she also raised his mother when her mothe...

This guy sure knows how to push Grant's buttons. And vice versa. Mose, being a religious man, has a lot of bones to pick with the nonbeliever Grant. He shows us just how dogmatic society can be, be...

Talk about hot for teacher. Vivian is Grant's main squeeze. She's married but separated, trying to get a divorce, and has a couple of kids that she leaves with a babysitter in order to meet up with...

These bad news bears are the ones that get Jefferson into so much trouble. They were up to no good and ended up in a no good situation when they tried to rob a liquor store, and unfortunately their...

Henri Pichot's sister and the sheriff's wife, Edna is Miss Emma's ace in the hole for getting visitation rights to the jail. She grew up eating Emma's cooking, and feels for her when her boy is in...

He's pretty old to be an errand boy, but that's his function. He runs back and forth from the big house to the church to send for Grant whenever Mr. Pichot wants to talk to him. He's a good man tha...

The big cheese, the boss man, Henri is the guy who lives in the big house that everyone else breaks their backs to make sure it keeps running. He's not exactly a sweetheart or a pushover, and he le...

Inez took over where Miss Emma left off as cook and housekeeper in Pichot's house. She is a sensitive woman, who cries over Jefferson's plight, and she's also a loyal friend to Tante Lou and Miss E...

Rougon doesn't exactly live at the plantation; his home is a few miles away. He does spend an awful amount of time there, though. Maybe it's all the free drinks Inez keeps serving up every time he...

Mr. Gropé is the white shopkeeper who ends up on the wrong end of Brother and Bear`s gun. He refuses to let them buy alcohol on credit, which spurs them to try to take it by force. He pulls a gun...

He's at the bar, she's at the café, and everybody's got all the refreshments they could wish for. The Claibornes are good, hardworking people who take care of their customers, like the time they l...

It's mentioned over and over that Paul is from "good stock", which basically means that his family is all right. He himself is more than all right. He makes pretty good friends with Grant and seems...

Dr. Joseph isn't exactly part of the law, but he fits into this category because he represents the government and comes from outside to impose his rules on the quarter. He's the school superintende...

The sheriff is Edna's husband and Henri Pichot's brother-in-law. He tries to keep a handle on things at the courthouse, and is especially worried about the looming threat of "aggravation", but he's...