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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was the purpose of the beautiful and meaningful Virgin Mary statue Elaine saw?

2. Who do Cordelia and Elaine make a game of making fun of in tenth grade?

3. What grade is Cordelia in when Elaine is in sixth grade?

4. How does Josef begin to treat Elaine?

5. What is different about Elaine's sixth grade school?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Elaine often feels herself growing stronger or weaker, empowered or powerless. Discuss the importance of power in the novel.

1) When is Elaine powerful, and when does she feel powerless? What gives Elaine power in the course of the novel?

2) How do Elaine and Cordelia use power over others?

3) What power does Elaine's art give her? Does Elaine recognize the power of her art?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the portrayal of men in the book.

1) How are Elaine's lovers, Josef, Jon, and Ben, portrayed in the book? What is Elaine's attitude toward her lovers?

2) How do Elaine's relationships with men differ from her relationships with women? Why is Elaine more comfortable with men than with women?

3) How is Elaine's father portrayed in the book? How is her brother portrayed? How do her relationships with her father and brother affect her relationships with other men?

Essay Topic 3

The novel is full of imagery of sight, sound, and smell. Discuss the use of imagery in the book.

1) How does Elaine describe the city of Toronto? How do Elaine's descriptions reflect her feelings?

2) How does the imagery of Elaine's paintings relate to the novel and Elaine's life?

3) What imagery is associated with different periods in Elaine's life?

4) Discuss the imagery of blood in the novel. What does the blood from Elaine's self-mutilation symbolize? What about the blood of miscarriages, suicides, and the botched abortion?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 375 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample