5/29/2023 0 Comments Whistling past the graveyard![]() ![]() What is it about this setting that you think is integral to these scenes?ġ1. The carnival is a major recurring theme throughout the novel: Eula’s spirit is broken when her cousin is beaten and Starla faces her biggest adversary (the Jenkins brothers). To what degree do you think this is true? Does it apply to Wallace? Lulu? Mamie?ġ0. Miss Cyrena claims that people never actually change, we just change our perception of them. How does her experience there change her and affect her character? She’s even called a “polar bear.” How does this affect her throughout the rest of the book?ĩ. ![]() In Miss Cyrena’s neighborhood, Starla experiences first-hand the harsh reality of discrimination. How do Starla’s thoughts on religion evolve as she meets characters such as Eula and Miss Cyrena? Do you think she comes to a conclusion by the end of her journey?Ĩ. From the beginning of the novel, Starla questions the implications of the religious beliefs that she sees practiced around her. How different or similar are their coping mechanisms for dealing with their families? In what way do they influence each other as they grow stronger?ħ. Eula and Starla are both products of dysfunctional families. Do you think that there’s a specific moment when that happens?Ħ. After leaving Wallace behind and travelling with Starla, we see Eula beginning to find herself. Do you agree? Do you think that this is true or that Wallace is a victim of his circumstances? Do you sympathize with him at all?ĥ. ![]() Eula claims that ultimately Wallace’s downfall is his pride. Was the secret justified or would it have been better to reveal it earlier?Ĥ. Some secrets are to protect her, while others are simply too painful to share. As a child narrator, Starla has many secrets kept from her. Do you think her changes are manufactured for her own benefit? Or are they genuine? Which moment convinced you one way or the other?ģ. We see different sides of Mamie’s character throughout the novel. Why do you think the author chose a child narrator? What do you think this adds to the story? How do you think the book would be different if it were told from the perspective of someone like Eula or Lulu?Ģ. By telling the story from Starla’s point of view, we get to look at the South in 1963 through the eyes of a child. Finding them would take her on the adventure of a lifetime.ġ. Enhance your book club experience with these discussion questions, insider information, author interview, and recipe suggestions.Īll nine-year-old spitfire Starla Claudelle yearned for was her mother and a secure, loving family. ![]()
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