Although the major focus of this book is the author's relationship with her mother and father, there is an undercurrent of class relationships. Explore some of these elements. Write a paper about how Ernaux represents the various class structures in her hometown and where she places her family in that social hierarchy.

Ernaux mentions her trip with her father to Lourdes. Research this city. What is the signifi- cance of this place? Find related sites in other parts of the world and present your findings to your class, explaining where the sites are located; why they are considered sacred; what religion, if any, they are related to; and how popular they are today.

Read Ernaux's A Man's Place, a book about her father. Then write a one-act play representing a dialogue between father and daughter. Use the scene of their bus trip...