A Lesson before Dying Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter 31 Summary

Chapter 31 Summary

Grant is at school, and the community is deserted and quiet. Grant looks toward Miss Emma's house and notes that she, and those who are with her, are remaining inside. He sees Reverend Ambrose's car leaving for the jail and feels like weeping. He wishes he could call Vivian. Grant wonders if God is with Jefferson, and thinks that the Reverend is a more courageous man than he, himself.

When the children return after lunch, Grant tells them to pray quietly on their knees and goes outside. He berates himself for not being with Jefferson. Sitting beneath a tree, Grant thinks that he cannot believe in a God that allows such injustice. He notices a butterfly on a patch of bull grass. He wonders why the butterfly stops on a patch of bull grass that does not offer it sustenance. When the butterfly goes, Grant knows that Jefferson is dead....
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