The Color of a Lie

There are historic “sundown towns” in almost every state in the United States. Research the sundown town closest to where you live. What is the history of this place? How do your findings compare with Levittown and the Virginian sundown town in which Calvin is arrested? What are the similarities and differences you notice in their histories and depictions?

Setting is important in the novel and often tied to identity. Johnson mixes real-world settings (like Levittown and Concord Park) with fictionalized settings (like Sojourner and the Capewoods). What is the purpose of creating these fictional places and entwining them with depictions of real places? What do the additions of these fictional settings allow the novel to do, and how would the novel change without these inclusions?

While major characters like Calvin, Lily, and Eugene affect the novel’s plot in obvious ways, even the minor characters build out the world of the novel in complex ways. Write an essay about the importance of a minor character in the novel—for instance, Barbara or Miss Brower. What themes and issues does this character highlight? How do they affect other characters or the plot?