Sky Full of Elephants

Focus on Sidney’s character arc. Why does she want to go to Orange Beach and what does she learn in Mobile? How does she grow?

Discuss Charlie’s transformation. What is his main conflict and how does it relate to repairing radios?

The novel links to many fraught points about race, so put the story in conversation with the contemporary discourse. Choose one reference to a specific contemporary idea or figure; how does the text explore it?

On the mural, Charlie reads the words, “In the end, black is the sun, and so we rise” (445). What does the quote have to do with race? How does the quote relate to Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise“ (1977)?

Malcolm acted in Shakespeare plays. How does Hamlet (1609) connect to the emphasis on family and past trauma? How does Macbeth (1623) reflect the power dynamic between Hosea and Vivian?

Analyze the motif “us,” we,” and “they.” When are the terms fixed and when are they mobile? How does the motif bolster the three key themes?

Describe the world of Mobile, Alabama. What makes it a monarchy? How does the presentation suggest utopia? Charlie thinks of it as a “system operating without friction,” so how does it function with such smoothness (237)?

Talk about the role that Elizabeth plays in the story. Why does Elizabeth accuse Charlie of rape? What does this plotline say about gender discrimination?