57 pages • 1 hour read
The Prayer Box
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Essay Topics
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism and addiction.
Analyze the structural choice of the epistolary narrative. How does Wingate use the chronological unfolding of Iola’s letters not only to reveal a historical mystery but also to pace and guide Tandi’s own psychological healing and spiritual development?
How does the storm-battered geography of the Outer Banks in The Prayer Box forge a communal identity that reinforces the novel’s central theme of healing through forgiveness and community?
Compare the nature and function of Iola’s secrets, born from the societal pressures of the Jim Crow era, with Tandi’s secrets, which stem from personal trauma and addiction. What does this parallel reveal about the different ways shame and fear can isolate an individual?
