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

Short Answer Questions

1. What movie does Elaine think could have been directed by Josef?

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

3. What type of clothes does Elaine wear in college?

4. Does Elaine agree to help Cordelia get out of the rest home?

5. What does the Middle Eastern woman ask Elaine for money for?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the trauma left by Elaine's abuse as a child.

1) How do Elaine's memories impact her life at the time of the retrospective? How do they impact her art and her perception of the world?

2) In what ways is Elaine trapped by the past? Why does she badly want an explanation from Cordelia?

3) Can Elaine be free of trauma from her past abuse? Is she free at the end of the book? How might her life change?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the use of point of view in the book.

1) Why is this book told in the first person, from Elaine's point of view? How would it be different if it were told by a different narrator?

2) Does Elaine provide an accurate account of the world around her? How is her view of the world biased or flawed?

3) What would the reader gain from understanding Cordelia's perspective, or the perspective of another character?

Essay Topic 3

Elaine is drawn to religion but also rejects it. Discuss the importance and meaning of religion in the novel.

1) What is Grace's mother's attitude to religion? How do her values affect her children?

2) Why does Elaine choose hell over forgiving Grace's mother? How does she perceive God? Why does she seek out different churches as an adult?

3) Why does Elaine embrace the Virgin Mary as an alternative to God? What does the Virgin Mary that Elaine visits in Mexico mean to her?

4) What is the meaning of Elaine's vision of the Virgin Mary when she is in the icy ravine?

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This section contains 424 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample