Chapter 9

Info

• page: 73-81
• place: jail in Bayonne
• time: during the day
• people: Grant, Miss Emma, Clark, Paul, Jefferson

Content

• Miss Emma and Grant drive to the prison in Bayonne. Outside the prison, the two meet the deputy sheriffs Clark and Paul. Clark is superior to Paul because Clark orders Paul to search through the package for Jefferson
• Clark and Paul inspect the two visitors most carefully and only then are they allowed entry to the prison. When they enter Jefferson's cell, they find the prisoner lying on the bed
• He stares motionlessly into space and, at first, hardly seems to notice his visit. Jefferson also does not want to touch the care package Miss Emma has brought with her. You notice that Jefferson is completely caught up in his world of thoughts and no longer pays any attention to the trivialities of the outside world
• The only question that torments the inmate is when he will be executed. While Miss Emma does not understand the question, Grant recognises exactly what inner tension lies behind Jefferson's question. Miss Emma continues to try to tease information out of Jefferson, but the young man remains silent and seems very absent

Chapter 10

Info

• page: 82-87
• place: jail in Bayonne, Miss Emma's home
• time: undefined period of time
• people: Grant, Miss Emma

Content

• Over the next few days, Grant and Miss Emma visit Jefferson a few more times. However, Jefferson's absent-minded nature and Miss Emma's incessant questions do not change
• On the fourth visit, Miss Emma cannot come because, as Aunt Lou tells Jefferson, she is sick at home. The supposedly sick Miss Emma finds Grant in her home in almost pristine condition
• The primary school teacher believes Aunt Lou and Miss Emma would assume that he would now always visit Jefferson alone and is upset about this. Grant openly communicates that he feels pressured by the subliminal responsibility his aunt and Miss Emma demand of him
• Miss Emma is shocked by Grant's reaction and replies that she never wanted to humiliate or pressure him but that she does not know who could take care of Jefferson instead of him. Grant then leaves

Chapter 11

Info

• page: 88-93
• place: jail in Bayonne
• time: within the next few days
• people: Grant, Jefferson

Content

• Grant pays the next visit to Jefferson alone without the two ladies. Grant is excited and worried about not knowing what to talk to Jefferson about
• When Grant asks Jefferson if he is hungry, the prisoner asks if the primary school teacher brought him corn - this would be food for hogs, after all. Jefferson then acts like an animal and, instead of eating the food he has received properly, he sticks his head in the bag and eats from it
• Grant ponders, as he observes Jefferson's behaviour, whether Jefferson might be trying to make him feel guilty. Grant also tells the inmate that the white population thinks Jefferson's situation is hopeless, but Jefferson doesn't seem to care as he doesn't answer
• Although Grant would like to know what is going on in Jefferson's head, he avoids asking him about his thoughts

Chapter 12

Info

• page: 94-103
• time: on a friday
• place: Rainbow Club, Vivian's classroom
• people: Grant, some guests, Vivian

Content:

• Although Grant does not want to lie to Miss Emma, he realises that he cannot tell her about Jefferson's strange behaviour and for this reason, he avoids meeting her eyes in the coming days
• In the bar of the Rainbow Club, he listens to a couple of older male guests talking about the American baseball player Jackie Robinson. This conversation reminds Grant of the feeling of triumph and happiness that flowed through him when the boxer Joe Louis achieved victories in his time
• Grant also remembers a dream he had over and over again for a while - in the nightmare, a man on death row asked the boxer to save his life. Involuntarily, Grant ponders whether Jefferson would also beg the baseball player Jackie Robinson for mercy before his execution
• After his pondering, Grant decides to head off to the local school where his friend Vivian teaches sixth and seventh grade
• In the classroom, Grant meets the young woman who works at her desk. Grant is distraught and asks Vivian to leave with him and her children, but she reacts dismissive
• Vivian remarks that they are not yet a public couple and, therefore, she does not want to be seen together with Grant until the divorce with her husband is finalised. She also argues that she can't just take the children and leave because they are her husband's children too
• Grant tells her about his last visit to Jefferson in prison and how he would like to leave the south for good. Vivian is sceptical about the whole thing and states, he could never just leave his ancestors
• Grant, however, replies that he is striving for more than he has at the moment. As they both head out for drinks, Vivian confesses to Grant that she suspects that most of her teachers and colleagues already know about her affair with the elementary teacher