The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara The author of “The Lesson” is Toni Cade Bambara who lived from 1939 to 1995 . It seems the author wrote about her own experiences. The main characters in the story are Miss Moore, Sylvia and Sugar. The narrator is Sylvia: a young girl who puts up a rough, tough front as protection from her poor, modern day, New York City environment. She deals with the circumstances in her life that she feels she has no control over, with a hard, mean act. Sylvia’s cousin, Sugar, is smart but lets Sylvia bully her. Sugar holds herself back to avoid Sylvia’s anger and because they are c