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Content Warning: This section of the guide includes a discussion of pregnancy loss and termination, illness and death.
Laurie Frankel pulls her title from Gabriel García Márquez’s short story of magical realism “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings.” What other parallels exist between the story and Pepper’s experience?
The novel intertwines the themes of The Dismissal of Elder People’s Agency and Autonomy Over One’s Body. Analyze the relationship between these two themes by examining two or more characters.
While Moth Holden is a loving partner, his personal trauma surrounding his wife’s death leads him to oppose Pepper’s desire for an abortion. What does his character suggest about the nature of grief?
Enormous Wings is narrated from Pepper Mills’s first-person perspective. Analyze how her voice and tone impact the narrative.
Frankel grounds Pepper’s pregnancy in the scientific history of SERMs and her arrest in the legal reality of Texas’s “abortion trafficking” ordinances. What is the impact of blending a fantastical premise with specific, fact-based medical and political contexts?
The hamsters Moth gives Lola make brief but timely appearances in the novel. What do they represent?
Enormous Wings examines the roles of children and parents. Analyze how the narrative’s events and themes shape these relationships, specifically between a child and their mother.
Setting often plays a role larger than just merely creating a scene. Examine how Vista View influences the novel.
Compare and contrast Dr. Blankman and Dr. Kim. Examine what these characters suggest about the medical system. In what ways do they reinforce and/or challenge societal stereotypes about physicians?
The novel is told from Pepper’s first-person perspective. How would the narrative change if the point-of-view were shifted to the third person? What would be gained? What would be lost?



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