3. Just before John Dowell comes to visit the Ashburnhams, Leonora Ashburnham bursts into Nancy Rufford's room and insists that Nancy do which of the following:

4. What is Nancy Rufford's religion?

5. After Captain Edward Ashburnham dies, where does John Dowell take up residence?

Short Essay Questions

1. If Leonora has been so patient and accommodating of Captain Edward Ashburnham's actions, why is Leonora unable to forgive Edward for giving money to the woman accused of murdering a baby?

2. In Part 4, Chapter 1, what is John Dowell's motivation for blaming both Leonora Ashburnham and Florence Dowell for the downfall of the Ashburnham marriage and not Captain Edward Ashburnham?

3. Who is Nancy's father? Edward White or Cornell Rufford?

4. Why does John Dowell continually excuse Captain Edward Ashburnham from the reader's judgment?

5. Why does John Dowell dislike Rodney Bayham?

6. How has Captain Edward Ashburnham changed since his youth?

7. What must Nancy reject in order to make her decision to meet her mother in Glasgow?

8. Why do you suppose Leonora Ashburnham never turned to her family for advice on her marriage?

9. In Part 4, Chapter 5, John Dowell claims that he is jealous of Leonora Ashburnham. What reason does John have for being jealous of Leonora?

10. Given Captain Edward Ashburnham's adulterous history, why does Leonora Ashburnham send Edward and Nancy to a concert together?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Address the question of John's feelings toward Edward. Why does John continually excuse Edward from judgment? Why does John place all the blame on Leonora Ashburnham and Florence Dowell for the novel's tragedies? Does John so esteem Edward because he is jealous of Edward, because he is in love with Edward, or simply because he is biased toward women?