Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- When do characters in the novel suffer because they are poor? What is the biggest problem that poverty creates for Francie? Why is it the biggest problem? Is this still a problem for people today?
- Why are some people (like Francie) able to get out of poverty while others seem hopelessly trapped? What differentiates people like Francie from the others?
- Girls are treated like second-class citizens in this novel. How would this story be different if Francie was a boy? Would he have the same problems? Do young women face the same problems today that Francie had?
- Mama knows that education is the key to getting her children out of poverty, but she is also afraid that education might have some negative consequences. What are the negative consequences that she anticipates?
- The American Dream can be summed up as doing better in life than your parents did. Which characters are closely connected to this dream? What stands in the way of achieving the American Dream for these characters? Is the American Dream available to all Americans? How about for you?
- There aren’t clear good guys and bad guys in this novel. Papa, for example, is a mostly absent, alcoholic father, but he loves Francie more than Mama does and has good intentions. Who are other characters that are combo meals of good and bad? Why do you think that the author did this? What might she be trying to say?