A lesson before dying - 3579 Mots | Etudier A Lesson Before Dying Characters | GradeSaver She may not move the community, but boy oh boy does she move the plot of A Lesson Before Dying. Another really important aspect of Miss Emma's power is that she's the one who means enough to Jefferson to help him stand up at the end of his life. Answers: 1. The first line of “A Lesson Before Dying" when Grant states offers one of the most important quotes from “A Lesson Before Dying" by Earnest Gaines, “I was there—but I wasn’t … A Lesson Before Dying. Miss Emma's overall goal is for Jefferson to stand up like a man before he dies, and she truly believes that Grant is the one who can help him do it. That's why she steps out of the picture by playing sick: to give the two men room to grow. In the novel, Miss Emma really works as a sort of a motor. Lesson Before Dying Questions Miss Emma is the first character to show compassion and caring for Jefferson after he is sentenced to death. The white deputies search Grant and Miss Emma before they can go inside.