42 pages 1 hour read

Maryse Condé

Crossing the Mangrove

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1989

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Essay Topics

1.

Why does the multicultural society of Rivière au Sel reject residents like Mira and Moïse? How does this rejection shape the reader’s understanding of Creolization in the village?

2.

Why do other villagers insist Mira was sexually assaulted by Francis Sancher?

How does this insistence reflect her experiences with racism and misogyny?

3.

Discuss Crossing the Mangrove’s attitude toward gay identity. Does it critique or endorse stereotypes? Do these stereotypes serve a thematic purpose? How might the novel’s treatment of gay identity provide metacommentary on its themes of intersectionality and oppression?