Jamaica Inn

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of physical abuse, emotional abuse, and ableism.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Tell us about your initial reaction to the Gothic atmosphere of Jamaica Inn with its desolate moors and isolated setting.

2. Daphne du Maurier wrote several Gothic novels set in Cornwall, including both Jamaica Inn and her most famous novel, Rebecca. How do you think these works compare in terms of atmosphere, tone, and character development?

3. Throughout the novel, both Jamaica Inn itself and the surrounding moorlands are portrayed as places of danger and confinement. In what ways does this setting strengthen the novel’s exploration of captivity, freedom, and corruption?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. How have you either embraced or rejected traits that your family believes run in your “blood”?

2. When in your life have you felt caught between competing responsibilities or loyalties, similar to the tension Mary feels between caring for Aunt Patience and escaping Jamaica Inn?

3. Have there been moments in your life when you’ve chosen the unknown over security, as Mary does when she leaves with Jem?

4. When has someone you trusted disappointed or betrayed you, and what impact did it have on your ability to trust others afterward?

5. Mary’s initial distrust of Jem gradually transforms into love despite her rational mind’s objections. Share a time when your feelings for someone evolved in unexpected ways, changing your perspective on them.

6. The moorlands in the novel represent both danger and freedom for Mary. What places have held similar contradictory meanings in your life?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. What parallels do you see between the novel’s portrayal of rural crime in 19th-century Cornwall and society’s current perceptions of lawlessness in isolated communities?

2. What does the novel show about 19th-century responses to domestic violence, which leaves women like Aunt Patience with few options for escape?

3. The novel repeatedly connects Francis Davey’s albinism to his villainous character. Discuss what this reveals about attitudes toward physical differences at this time, and consider how these portrayals have evolved in contemporary fiction.

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Which scenes most effectively use the moorland landscape to heighten tension or reflect the characters’ emotional states?

2. How does Mary’s spirit of adventure evolve throughout the story, and what does this evolution reveal about her character?

3. Joss Merlyn believes in the curse of “bad blood” that dooms his family to violence and early death. What evidence does the novel provide either supporting or contradicting this belief, particularly through Jem’s character?

4. Joss Merlyn’s delicate hands contrast with his brutish appearance and behavior. What might this physical contradiction symbolize about his character and role in the larger criminal enterprise?

5. Aunt Patience transforms from a vibrant, lively woman to a broken, fearful shadow of herself under Joss’s abuse. What purpose does her character’s tragic fate serve in the overall narrative?

6. How does du Maurier explore female desire and agency through Mary’s character and her attraction to dangerous men like Joss and Jem?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Jamaica Inn stands today as a tourist attraction in Cornwall, bearing little resemblance to the sinister place described in the novel. Imagine you’re developing a modern adaptation of the story. Which elements would you preserve, and which would you update for contemporary audiences?

2. The ending of the novel leaves Mary and Jem’s future open to interpretation as they set off together. Write a short description of Mary and Jem’s life five years after the novel’s conclusion, including as many sensory details as possible.

3. Write a three-line poem that captures one pivotal scene in the novel.

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