1. Do you think that Mary is right to obey her parents and postpone going to Paris until they consent? If they had refused to consent, do you think that at some point she would have decided to go without their approval? How might her life have been different if she went without her parents' consent?

2. Why does Mary consider the Pennsylvania Academy of Arts old-fashioned?

3. Why does Mary dislike the classical subjects for paintings that are popular in the late 1800s?

4. In late nineteenth-century France, one way for an artist to gain recognition was to exhibit paintings at the Salon in Paris. Do you know of anything in the U.S. that is comparable to the Salon?

How does an artist gain recognition?

5. Late in life, Mary wonders whether she should have raised a family instead of immersing herself in art. Why does she...