3. Later in her life, whose photograph does the narrator see that reminds her of herself as the young woman on the ferry?
(a) Her mother as a young woman.
(b) A movie star of the day.
(c) A friend from her childhood.
(d) Her twenty-year-old son.

4. What is the mother obsessed with in regards to the narrator?
(a) Having her escape poverty.
(b) Having her marry the lover.
(c) Sending her to France.
(d) Her being a great writer.

5. What does the narrator consider takes a personal toll on women?
(a) Having children.
(b) Getting married.
(c) Going to school.
(d) Colonial life.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does the mother earn money?

2. Who dies prior to the novel's narration?

3. The lover comments that it is rare to see a white girl ________.

4. Who uses the money that the narrator has access to through her relationship?

5. What does the narrator ride on to board the ferry?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the character of Hélène Lagonelle.

2. In segment 14, the school officially complains to the mother about the outlandish behavior of her daughter. What does the mother say and how does the school respond?

3. What happens to the family's wealth after the father's death?

4. Why does the narrator find the lover uncovered in front of her family?

5. Describe the older brother's behavior toward the lover.

6. The lover makes a comment about the narrator's method of transportation. What is it...why is it strange... and what does it indicate?

7. Is the narrator in control of the relationship with the lover, through its beginning to the end?

8. Who was blamed for the behavior of the husbands and why?

9. What structural functions does the opening segment of the novel perform?

10. What events transpire on the trip to France aboard the ocean liner? Why are they important?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,138 words
(approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page)

View a FREE sample