A Lesson Before Dying Chapter 25 Summary

  • The old folk head on home and Grant goes to the Rainbow Club. He is over the moon because of the breakthrough he had with Jefferson at the courthouse, and can't wait for Vivian to come in so he can tell her all about it.
  • While he's waiting he hears some biracial bricklayers talking loudly, but he doesn't pay much attention to what they're saying. According to Grant, biracial people can be very racist because they want to show that they're above black people even though the white people treat them as inferior.
  • Finally Grant figures out that they're talking about how glad they are that Jefferson is going to be killed. He tries to keep his cool but, whoops, he loses it.
  • Grant goes to their table and tells them to shut up. And—ding, ding, ding—Round 1 begins.
  • They get into a fistfight, and the bricklayer is much stronger than Grant. Claiborne comes over to hold back the bigger guy, but Grant and his buddy keep fighting.
  • Thelma comes with a broom and swats at them, but they just start throwing chairs at each other.
  • Grant faintly notices Claiborne knocking out the fat guy, but then his own bell gets rung and he's seeing stars himself.
  • When he wakes up Vivian is there, and they're hustling him out of the bar before the cops come.