Shame

The novel uses the theme of shame to show the way that the feeling of shame can work through a person or a family in often unexpected and negative ways to drive people apart from one another. Early in the novel, the young Hannah is one of the first to exhibit the feeling of shame when she watches her father slaughter the chicken for Easter dinner. When her Granny tells Hannah to come and that she will teach Hannah how to kill the bird, Hannah begins crying and refuses. She (Hannah) "turned her face away in shame" when her Granny offers her understanding and sympathy (21). It is unclear why she feels shame--because she is unable to do what needs to be done, because they see her crying and show her sympathy, or because she does not want them to see her cry because her siblings often...