The Color of a Lie

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?

This novel takes place at the very beginning of the civil rights movement. Research what was happening in the civil rights movement in 1955. How do these events influence the novel’s characters and plot? Pay special attention to the figures mentioned by name in the novel, like Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and Emmett Till.

Calvin often thinks about the double standards and hypocrisy behind socialization and the perpetuation of a certain status quo—for instance, the treatment of women in the post-World War II era, the treatment of Black women, and the treatment of gay men like his brother, Robert. What role does Calvin’s intersectional thinking (that is, thinking about the overlapping prejudices against various identities) play in the novel? How does it make him a messenger for change in his community? Are there any places where his nuanced understanding of identity falls short, and how does the novel address this?

Research how Jewish Americans were treated in the early 20th century and what solidarity existed in this period between Black and Jewish communities. Considering this research, analyze how Alex’s Jewish identity affects his position in Levittown and his solidarity with Calvin, citing examples from the text. How does his identity make him different from other characters? What vulnerabilities does he face? What are the limits of his solidarity?

Research the values and ideologies of the Levitt family and how they manifest in their three real-life Levittowns. Though the Levitts are not a character in the novel, how do their ideologies show up in the novel through the actions of Vernon, the town’s anti-Black residents, and the housing and educational systems?

Analyze the supernatural elements of this novel. What does the topic of haunting add to the plot? How does it relate to the novel’s central mystery, the housing conspiracy?

Write a comparative essay about how two or more different characters view the concept of “passing.” Have one of your characters be Calvin, and the remaining can be any character that interests you and makes their opinion on passing clear, such as Calvin’s parents, Robert, Eugene, Harry, Lily, Alex, or Ben. How are the characters’ perspectives similar and different? Consider how their identities, lived experiences, and environment influence their viewpoint.