Research the sexual revolution of the 1960s. How did the attitudes and atmosphere of this decade affect Theresa's behaviors? Would she have behaved in the manner she did if she had been born twenty years earlier? Twenty years later? Is the atmosphere she lived in totally to blame for her behaviors?

How did the experience of polio and then scoliosis affect Theresa? Would she have behaved the same had she had a more normal childhood?

Discuss the moral issues of Theresa's habit of picking up men in bars. At the time the novel was written, was this acceptable behavior for a woman? Is it in today's society? Compare and contrast the attitudes of young adults in Theresa's time and today. How would Theresa be regarded now? Would she have met the same fate if she were living in today's society?

Discuss clinical depression. Was...