Explain why Papa started the fire in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor.

In chapter 12 of Mildred D. Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, the Logan family faces many obstacles and challenges due to the racism of their white neighbors. The Logan childrens’ friend, T. J., is no exception to this unfairness, though he does at times attempt to use it to his advantage and to the detriment of the Logan children. At one point, he even tries to get their mother, a teacher in their school, in trouble. This backfires, causing him to lose his friends at school—in particular, his best friend, Stacey Logan.
T. J. begins hanging out with two white boys, unaware they are using him. He finds himself an unwitting accomplice to murder during a robbery, which he is fully blamed for. A lynch mob comes after him, and he turns to Stacey for help. In order to save T. J. and Stacey, Papa sets his own fields on fire. This causes the white men to have to stop searching for T. J. while they put out the fire. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that T. J. is completely safe. He goes to jail, where we are left unsure of his fate. It is believed he will end up on a chain gang or executed for the crime.