DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. As a servant in the Bell's home Josephine is literally "The House
Girl." But how does this title also apply to Lina's character? What is
the significance of Lina leaving her father's house at the close of
the story? 2. The definition of "family" is unclear in this story:
Lina's mother is absent for all of her life, Josephine's son is
fathered by her married master. As Lina reflects on her mother's
artwork she wonders whether you can create family connections: "What
is blood and what is decision?" What is your response? 3. Separated by
more than two centuries, Lina and Josephine's characters never meet,
but Conklin's narrator tells this story through each of their
perspectives. What similarities do you find between these two women?
What would each character be able to teach the other? 4. On an empty
page in her favorite book, Grace Sparrow writes "who is free?" We know
that Josephine, Lottie and the others at the Bell plantation are
literally enslaved. But who else experiences a lack of freedom in this
story? Do you think these characters achieve freedom by the close of
the novel? 5. Lu Anne Bell's relationship to Josephine is intense. She
allows this slave, who gave birth to a boy fathered by her own
husband, to remain in their home. She shares the most intimate moments
of vulnerability with her when her illness is at its worst. But how
does Josephine feel towards Lu Anne? How does she perceive her role in
Lu Anne's life? 6. Taking us back and forth between Josephine and
Lina's worlds, the narrator gives us an intimate look into the lives
of both women. But Conklin also introduces Caleb Harper and Dorothea
Rounds as additional narrators, speaking through their letters. What
did their narrations add to the story? How did they change your
understanding of Josephine and others living and working in the Bell's
community? 7. Josephine "keeps" her memories in Mr. Jefferson's chest
of drawers. How is this similar to Oscar's paintings of Grace? How do
these characters confront the loss and pain they've experienced? How
do they hide things away? 8. In the final pages of the novel, Lina
decides to call her mother, asking Jasper to dial the phone number.
What do you think Lina will say? Is she ready to build a relationship?
Has she forgiven her mother for leaving? 9. Many people ask Lina why
she has chosen to become a lawyer. Does she ever give a satisfying
answer? Lina's law professor had taught her that the "law is the
bastion of reason…there is no place for feeling." Why does a career
like this appeal to Lina, the artist's daughter? How does this appeal
wane throughout the story? 10. Many of the characters are trying to
atone for acts committed in the past—Caleb, for his work with the
slave catcher, Dorothea for her brother Percy's death, Oscar for not
being a "good husband" to Grace. Do you think they are successful? 11.
What is the role of religion in Josephine's world? How does religious
belief both help and hinder Lottie? 12. Lina and Dorothea are both
women seeking to excel in areas dominated by men—Lina, at a
corporate law firm; Dorothea, in the abolitionist movement, what her
father calls "not work for women." How do their experiences differ?
How are they the same?
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24/12/2018 Last update