The Sentence

Why does Erdrich choose an independent bookstore as the setting of much of her novel?

In what ways is the ghost of Flora a metaphor? Analyze Tookie’s characterization and/or Erdrich’s theme through the metaphorical meaning of the ghost.

Why are Hetta and Tookie always at odds? What is Erdrich’s commentary about motherhood in the novel?

How and why does Erdrich use her novel to celebrate stories? Cite three pieces of evidence from the text to support your response.

Why does Erdrich include Laurent’s story about Rougarou ancestry? How does this story serve the overall narrative, characterizations, or themes?

What is the source of pain between Pollux and Tookie? Analyze their relationship in the context of their past, present, and future.

How does George Floyd’s murder challenge Pollux’s sense of self? Analyze Pollux’s characterization, focusing on his internal and external conflicts.

Bodies are an important narrative symbol throughout the novel, as it describes transporting bodies, desecrating bodies, and body-less souls, among other types of corporeality. What is the importance of the body in the novel, and how does the body symbolize the development of the novel’s themes?