|
1. The title The Invention
of Wings was one of the first inspirations that came to Sue Monk
Kidd as she began the novel. Why is the title an apt one for Kidd's
novel? What are some of the ways that the author uses the imagery and
symbolism of birds, wings, and flight?
2. What were the qualities in Handful that you most admired? As you read
the novel, could you imagine yourself in her situation? How did Handful
continue her relentless pursuit of self and freedom in the face of such
a brutal system?
3. After laying aside her aspirations to become a lawyer, Sarah remarks
that the Graveyard of Failed Hopes is "an all-female establishment."
What makes her say so? What was your experience of reading Kidd's
portrayal of women's lives in the nineteenth century?
4. In what ways does Sarah struggle against the dictates of her family,
society, and religion? Can you relate to her need to break away from the
life she had in order to create a new and unknown life? What sort of
risk and courage does this call for?
5. The story of The Invention of Wings includes a number of
physical objects that have a special significance for the characters:
Sarah's fleur-de-lis button, Charlotte's story quilt, the rabbit-head
cane that Handful receives from Goodis, and the spirit tree. Choose one
or more of these objects and discuss their significance in the novel.
6. Were you aware of the role that Sarah and Angelina Grimke played in
abolition and women's rights? Have women's achievements in history been
lost or overlooked? What do you think it takes to be a reformer today?
7. How would you describe Sarah and Angelina's unusual bond? Do you
think either one of them could have accomplished what they did on their
own? Have you known women who experienced this sort of relationship as
sisters?
8. Some of the staunchest enemies of slavery believed the time had not
yet come for women's rights and pressured Sarah and Angelina to desist
from the cause, fearing it would split the cause of abolition. How do
you think the sisters should have responded to their demand? At the end
of the novel, Sarah asks, "Was it ever right to sacrifice one's truth
for expedience?"
9. What are some of the examples of Handful's wit and sense of irony,
and how do they help her cope with the burdens of slavery?
10. Contrast Handful's relationship with her mother with the
relationship between Sarah and the elder Mary Grimke. How are the two
younger women formed-and malformed-by their mothers?
11. Kidd portrays an array of male characters in the novel: Sarah's
father; Sarah's brother, Thomas; Theodore Weld; Denmark Vesey; Goodis
Grimke, Israel Morris, Burke Williams. Some of them are men of their
time, some are ahead of their time. Which of these male characters did
you find most compelling? What positive and negative roles did they play
in Sarah and Handful's evolvement?
12. How has your understanding of slavery been changed by reading The
Invention of Wings? What did you learn about it that you didn't know
before?
13. Sarah believed she could not have a vocation and marriage, both. Do
you think she made the right decision in turning down Israel's proposal?
How does her situation compare with Angelina's marriage to Theodore? In
what ways are women today still asking the question of whether they can
have it all?
14. How does the spirit tree function in Handful's life? What do you
think of the rituals and meanings surrounding it?
15. Had you heard of the Denmark Vesey slave plot before reading this
novel? Were you aware of the extent that slaves resisted? Why do you
think the myth of the happy, compliant slave endured? What were some of
the more inventive or cunning ways that Charlotte, Handful, and other
characters rebelled and subverted the system?
16. The Invention of Wings takes the reader back to the roots of
racism in America. How has slavery left its mark on American life? To
what extent has the wound been healed? Do you think slavery has been a
taboo topic in American life?
17. Are there ways in which Kidd's novel can help us see our own lives
differently? How is this story relevant for us today?
|
|