~ For Your Consideration ~
Chapters 12 - 16

"This is one of the best books I have read and I recommended it to the book discussion group at our local library."--Denjer

Chapter 12 contains so many layers, let's look at it alone and try to identify all the themes.

"This used to be an open field full of sweetgrass. Now look around. There's not a blade of sweetgrass on the lot. But I noticed that didn't stop them from calling it Sweetgrass Center." (page 218).

Remember this song? They've Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot: Big Yellow Taxi

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Hey now, they've paved paradise to put up a parking lot
Why not?

1. Why not, indeed? Here another theme is introduced yet it's in keeping with the themes we have mentioned before.

There's quite a controversy now about any new Wal-Mart which goes up. What's going on? There's even a documentary called What Wal-Mart Has Done To America.

What is your own opinion on progress such as we see mentioned here on page 218? Is it necessary? Is it wise? We have a brand new pretty shopping center CALLED Sweetgrass Center, but the sweetgrass itself is gone. Do you know of a similar instance in your own neighborhood? What have the Super Centers done to your own area? Have they been an improvement?

2. Chapter 12 introduces the character who is the most stable (Nona) with the symbolism of a damask table cloth as a metaphor for the family and its secrets: "So many stains she'd cleaned up over the years, each with a story of its own, and not a one could be seen." (Page 211).

What else can't be seen? "There was a lot going on under the surface in this family." (page 213).
What other things in this chapter are metaphors? And what do they stand for?

3. "I've done with that….it's taken me years to accept that we just don't get along, okay?" (page 215). Morgan is unable to connect with his father in a meaningful way despite the urgings of Nona and Kristina. Why do you suppose that is? What is hampering this relationship, who is most at fault?

Morgan says he has nothing to say to him, why does this remind me of a Jim Croce song? What does it remind you of??

4. "Mama June's spells..." (page 226). June has just experienced one of the greatest tragedies any person can, losing her child. What is meant by her "spells?" Have you ever heard of anybody "taking to their bed," and is that a remnant of the past? What would that be called today?

5. "The roots go deep and the pain spreads to all of them." (page 225). This family seems to be operating under a facade, with deep roots they are afraid to examine. Would you say this is true of every family? What ARE these deep roots they don't want to look too hard at? At this point in the story, does the reader know all the answers he seeks?

6. "I have nothing to say to him." (page 215). Estrangement between parents and children often hits the fan when the parent formerly seen as the strong one is ill. What does it take for this facade between parent and child to fall? Who, in these instances, would you say is most at fault?

Chapter 13:

7. "For years hers had been a stale, tired marriage, one filled with disillusionment and disappointments."…what is your opinion of the paragraph beginning in page 246 of Preston and Mary June's marriage? What do you think has caused this? And how has the stroke changed their relationship?

8. "I have nothing to offer you but my own confusion."--Jack Kerouac

What's your opinion of Tripp at this point? Who do you blame for his death? Who do you think most bears the guilt?

9. That's a good thing, isn't it? Going over things we've done or said in our mind, trying to get things straight.

Now let's ask you, if you have a painful memory, do you personally feel going over it helps or hurts? Would this be a particularly good topic to bring up with a man who has suffered a stroke? Why or why not?

10. Some people have called this a sad book. Would you agree at this point? Why or why not?

Chapters 14, 15 and 16:

11. Why do you suppose Morgan did not ask to see the signed agreement between Adele and Preston? Do you think there is one?

12. What do you now think is the pivotal point in the story so far?

13. How would the story have turned out differently if Preston had not had a stroke?

14. The Blakeleys have been concerned with saving one part of their heritage,and all their efforts have centered on that. What seems to be the most important thing to them at the end of Chapter 16? Why?

15. I do not think it is uncommon for long marriages to experience a period of, say, exhaustion. No more surprises, mundane comments, loss of shared interests, etc. The question is: what can we do to bring back the spontaneity? The spark? The freshness and romance? The friendship?

16> The other critical point was to answer the question of how we deal with family members and personal needs/hurts/greed when a family property is sold. When threatened, a person's best and worst qualities are revealed. Some members rise up to meet the challenge. Others wallow in self interest. And still others make a statement by remaining mute. I think I am most disturbed by the latter. I've gleaned from your comments that some of you are facing just such questions. True?

17. CONTROL is one of the big issues in this book. Think about it? What character here is free of control issues?

Morgan? He had to move half the country away to get control of something, himself, anything?
Hank? He's totally in control, that's his problem.
Nan? She's never in control, she admits that, that's her problem.
Preston? He's BEEN in control or so everybody thought, now he's not, that's HIS big problem, isn't it?
Mary June? What of her? Is she in or out of control??
What about the rest of them?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Questions for Chapters 1 - 6

Questions for Chapters 7 - 11

Questions for Chapters 17 - End