Waiting for the Magic

While the family attempts to manage its crisis through the symbol of “serious talks” at the breakfast table, these formal conversations often fail. Look closely at William’s conversations with Elinor and analyze how these exchanges help William navigate through his feelings.

Papa’s return does not restore the original family unit but requires his assimilation into a new one. Analyze the process of Papa’s reintegration, focusing on how his interactions with the animals serve as a series of trials that he must pass to be accepted back into the family.

How does Patricia MacLachlan’s simple and lyrical prose style support the genre of fabulism, particularly in presenting the magic of talking animals in a matter-of-fact way?

How does the staggered progression of each family member gaining the ability to hear the animals represent their individual psychological journeys toward emotional openness?

Analyze the function of fabulism in Waiting for the Magic. How does MacLachlan use the fantastical element of talking animals to explore the psychological realities of childhood grief and family trauma in a way that pure realism could not?

Papa’s “empty space” is symbolic in the narrative, but so are other areas. Explore the symbolic significance of other physical spaces in the novel, such as the attic office, the couch, and the crowded family car. What do they represent? How do they reinforce one or more of the novel’s themes?

The animals in Waiting for the Magic are more than passive companions; they are active agents in the family’s healing. Analyze the distinct roles played by specific animals, such as Bryn’s protectiveness and Neo’s wisdom, in establishing the new emotional rules and structure of the redefined family.

Although William and Elinor discover the same truths about family, how do they function as foils for one another? Consider multiple possibilities.