Discuss the historical significance of the setting in which this book was written. How would the story have changed had it been set ten years earlier? Ten years later?

Discuss the significance of Jimmy Blevins' character to the story.

Discuss the situation John Grady Cole and Lacey Rawlins discovered themselves in at the prison in Saltillo.

What was the significance of Alejandra's rejection of John Grady Cole to his state of mind so closely following upon the heels of the young man's release from prison?

Discuss the significance of the deaths of John Grady Cole's nursemaid and father to the end of the story.

Flash forward one year. Where do you imagine Lacey Rawlins is and what is he doing?

Compare the societal values in the late 1940s America with those of Mexico as expressed by Alejandra's aunt in the Duena Alfonsa's second meeting...