4. Hagar returns to Manawaka when Bram becomes very sick. Upon seeing Hagar for the first time in years, Bram doesn't recognize Hagar at first. Later, who does he tell her she reminds him of?

5. In the beginning of Chapter 8, who is the man who enters the room where Hagar sits?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do you think Hagar does not allow herself to cry in front of strangers?

2. How does Hagar view the nursing home?

3. Having never said a kind word about Bram, why do you think Hagar tells Elva her husband had been very handsome?

4. Describe how Hagar feels physically and mentally in the beginning of Chapter 7.

5. Explain the irony of Hagar being moved to a semi-private hospital room.

6. In Chapter 9, why do you think Hagar apologize to the nurse?

7. In Chapter 7, Hagar's fear of the dark is admitted. Why do you think she has never told anyone she was afraid of the dark?

8. What do you see creating distance and hardness between Hagar and her sons, as well as everyone else?

9. In the hospital what is the ultimate humiliation for Hagar, that causes her to have to give up total control? Does she accept this gracefully?

10. What do you think putting on pink lipstick does to the stone angel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hagar's possessions are very important to her.

Part 1) Name some of her possessions and why they are important.

Part 2) What do her possessions trigger in the book when she sees them?

Part 3) What are these possessions worth to Hagar?

Essay Topic 2

How is the name Hagar significant? How does Hagar feel about her name? Who are the two people in the novel who call Hagar by her name and why is it worth noting?

Essay Topic 3

They say hindsight is 20/20. As an old woman Hagar looks back and sees how her life could have turned out differently if she had acted differently. Name a way her life could have been different:

Part 1) as a girl.

Part 2) as a married woman.

Part 3) as a mother.

Part 4) as an old lady.

(see the answer keys)

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