Deenie

How does the character of Deenie reflect beliefs about and cultural attitudes toward people with disabilities in the context of the early 1970s US? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Analyze Blume’s formal choices, like her use of the first-person point of view. How do her strategies create a sense of honesty and realism for its intended readers?

Analyze how Deenie and Helen’s relationship changes over the course of the novel. In your answer, consider how Deenie’s perspective on her older sister changes.

Discuss Deenie’s narrative voice. Is she a reliable narrator? Alternatively, what beliefs, biases, and lack of knowledge or experience are evidenced through her point of view?

How is Thelma characterized through Deenie’s point of view? How does the narrative convey the impact of Thelma’s parenting on Deenie’s self-image?

Discuss Deenie’s journey toward independence throughout the novel. How is her desire for self-determination depicted, and how is that narrative arc concluded at the end of the book?

In addition to the protagonist, Deenie, Blume includes several other characters with disabilities, including Old Lady Murray, Barbara Curtis, and Gena Courtney. What role do those characters play in Deenie’s journey toward self-acceptance? What is the significance of using several characters with disabilities to examine ableist beliefs?

What message does the narrative convey about the role of empathy in challenging discriminatory beliefs and attitudes? To what extent does this message apply to the oppression of larger sociocultural systems?