White Lilacs Discussion Questions
Week 1
Chapter 1
1. What foreshadowing takes place in the first sentence of the novel?
2. Why is “Freedomtown” an odd name for this town?
3. Who are the Bells?
4. Explain how the black women at the tea party are treated by the white women.
5. Why does Rose Lee’s grandfather love his white lilac so much?
6. Who is the narrator of the book?
1. What other books or movies does this novel remind you of and why?
Chapters 2-3
1. Explain the “War between the States.”
2. How is Henry different from the other black people?
3. What is revealed about Rose Lee in Chapter 3?
4. Describe the reaction Rose Lee gets when she reports what she overheard.
5. How is Miss Firth different from the other white ladies?
1. Why do you think Rose Lee says that she and Miss Firth knew very little about the
people of Dillon?
Chapter 4
1. Explain what happens at the Bell dinner table.
2. Why does Rose Lee’s father want her to continue to work for Mrs. Bell?
3. Who is Henry?
1. Why do you think the author chooses to use a metaphor on page 38 when Rose Lee
says, “I could sense a whole ocean of anger rolling beneath the surface of his calm? Does
she does this at other times?
Week 2
Chapters 5-6
1. Describe Catherine Jane.
2. How do Rose Lee and Catherine Jane first meet?
3. Explain what happened between the two girls to end the friendship.
4. What is the difference between Rose Lee and Catherine?
5. Who are the white people discussing at the Bell dinner party and what problems do they
foresee?
6. Why is it ironic that so much emphasis is put on the manners and dress code?
7. Explain the art class situation.
1. Why do you think that Rose Lee’s thoughts about Catherine Jane are different now
than what they were when they were younger?
Chapter 7
1. Why do Rose Lee and her community celebrate Juneteenth?
2. Who is Aunt Sussannah? (Describe.)
3. How are the words spoken by the mayor and Dr. Thompson in paragraph 1 used to distort
or hide the truth?
Chapter 8
1. How does Rose Lee know that Mama still considers Aunt Susannah as “company?”
2. Explain how Mama feels about Aunt Susannah’s dress.
1. In what what is the white community of Dillon dependent on the black community?
What do you think about this?
Chapter 9
1. Explain what happens between the white community and the black community.
2. Why does the white community want to terrorize the black community?
1. What would have done in a similar situation?
Week 3
Chapter 10
1. Where did Henry go?
2. Why didn’t Aunt Susannah get married to the man she loved?
3. What do we find out about Aunt Susannah’s visit in this chapter?
1. What do you think about the hidden relationship of Aunt Susannah’s
Chapter 11
1. What does Catherine Jane decide not to do to avoid getting Rose Lee in trouble?
2. What does Emily Firth do that angers the white people?
3. Explain what a suffragist is.
4. Explain the difference between the white 4th of July and the black 4th of July?
5. How do the white people react to Miss Firth’s speech?
6. Why is it ironic that the speeches made at the picnic occurred on July 4th?
Chapters 12-13
1. Explain how Aunt Tillie reacts to Mrs. Bell’s remarks.
2. Describe what happens to Henry. Why does this happen?
3. What discovery does Rose Lee make about Mr. Tom Bell?
4. What does Miss Firth suggest to Rose Lee?
Chapter 14
1. What happens when everyone is at City Hall?
2. Explain Rose Lee’s three reasons to cry.
3. How are the people of Freedomtown not only robbed of their homes but cheated out of
their money?
Week 4
Chapters 15-16
1. Explain how Catherine Jane try to prove her independence?
2. How does Rose Lee’s community show their support of Rose Lee’s sketching project?
3. How does Rose Lee lose a friend?
4. What shocking thing does Catherine Jane do in Chapter 16?
Chapter 17
1. Explain how each of Rose Lee’s grandparents resists the move in their own ways.
2. Who is Frederick Douglass?
3. What did Aunt Susannah do to buy Ragsdales’s house?
Chapter 18
1. What job did Poppa get?
2. Who does Rose Lee call on for help? Why do you think she does this?
3. Explain why Henry is forced to leave so forcefully and quickly.
4. How does Catherine Jane finally achieve independence of her family?
Chapter 19
1. What does the white lilac symbolize?
2. Why couldn’t Grandpa get medical attention when he took sick?
3. Why is it fitting that the events of this chapter take place in the winter?