We Deserve Monuments

What does the novel suggest can be learned from previous generations (i.e., grandparents or great-grandparents) that cannot be learned from parents? What does it suggest is the reason for this difference?

Is the novel’s ending optimistic or pessimistic? Use examples from the interludes to tie your argument in with the text’s view of history.

Explore one of the smaller-scale settings in the novel (not Bardell in its entirety) to argue how the novel draws comparisons between place, ideas of race, and selfhood for one or more of its characters.

Avery’s specific college plans are never mentioned in the text. How is this omission relevant to her arc?

Analyze the role of the friendship rings in articulating the novel’s positioning of friendship as equally important as romantic love.

The novel recognizes the long connection of history, but does it note any sharp points of change? If so, argue the significance of these “turning points” both for the characters and the novel’s view of history.

Think about how the interludes mythologize different figures in the book. Do any of these count as “monuments?” Argue why or why not using examples from the text.

Discuss the implied logic behind Avery and Zora’s choice to hide Letty’s culpability in Amelia’s death, even after Letty herself has died. Does this present them as having a moral stance on Letty’s action?