The Change

How do Chase Osborne, Art Levison, and Franklin Rees differ in their reactions to the transformations and choices of their female partners?

How does the novel portray the relationship between social class and vulnerability through working-class characters such as Amber Welsh, Laverne Douglass, and Isabel?

Compare how Jo and Nessa balance their responsibilities as mothers with their pursuit of justice.

Miller creates a world in which real-life injustices and bad actors are deliberately exaggerated for dramatic effect. To what extent does this approach support (or detract from) the author’s broader message about patriarchal abuses?

Insects and biological blights appear at several turning points in the narrative. What role do these non-human forces play in the conflicts between certain characters?

Several chapters depart from the central storyline to recount the past from the perspectives of secondary figures. Choose at least two specific examples. What does the narrative achieve by providing these detailed personal histories?

Throughout the novel, characters exchange coded or threatening objects. How do these physical items function as instruments of communication, warning, or resistance?

How does Miller’s depiction of middle-aged and older women subvert or reinforce traditional genre tropes of mature femininity?