Please answer the following questions in complete sentences.
“A Devoted Son”
1. “Devotion” can mean a number of things. Discuss your understanding of the
various types of devotion.
2. List the various ways in which Rakesh demonstrates his “devotion” to his father.
3. In your opinion, is there a problem with the type of devotion Rakesh practices for
his father? Discuss your reasons.
4. At what point does Rakesh’s devotion become a source of conflict with Varma?
5. In what sense do the father and son roles become reversed in the story?
6. What lessons might be learned from the story about parent and child
relationships?
“The Red Convertible”
1. Why does Lyman say that “of course” the car was red? What is significant about
the colour?
2. Why might it be significant that the car is a convertible and that it is an “Olds”?
3. Contrast the personalities of Lyman and Henry. How are the different?
4. Why did the brothers’ trip to Alaska mean so much to them? What did they
experience there?
5. Why did Susy’s letting her hair down near the end of the brothers’ stay in Alaska
take on such significance for Lyman and Henry?
6. At what points and why do Lyman and Henry tangle over the ownership of the
car? Why is it significant that neither brother seems to want exclusive ownership
of the vehicle?
7. In detail, explain how the red convertible is used as a symbol in the story. Play
particular attention to the final paragraph of the story in which Lyman sends the
car into the river after Henry. What does the car represent?
8. Does Henry intentionally drown? If so, why?
9. Why does Lyman say he now “walks everywhere he goes?” What has he learned
from his and Henry’s experience?
10. How might the epigraph (page 82), taken from Louise Erdrich’s journals, apply to
the story? What problems are faced in the story, and why is this kind of ending
“something that we [native people] need?”
“The Famous Poll at Jody’s Bar”
1. What do we learn about Sandy from his gesture of burying the dollar and small
change beneath the oak tree for Nora Jane? What effect does the gesture
apparently have on Nora Jane?
2. What does the description of Nora Jane’s planning of the robbery tell us about
Nora Jane?
3. What does Jody’s Bar represent for the men who drink there? What does the poll
suggest about the general atmosphere or attitude among the bar’s patrons?
4. Why is it ironic that Jody’s Bar is robbed by Nora Jane?
5. What impressions of Nora Jane’s personality do we get from her handling of the
robbery?
6. Find three ways in which you would describe Nora Jane’s personality and quote
or paraphrase lines from the story to support your conclusions.
“The Storyteller”
1. At first, what is the protagonist like, and how does he respond to Weaver?
2. What reasons exist to suggest that Weaver is only making excuses to the
protagonist for not shooting the deer?
3. Why do you think the story is titled “The Storyteller”?
4. Is there a reason to doubt Weaver’s story about Spivey? If so, what other
possibilities exist to explain Weaver’s behaviour?
5. How is the protagonist changed by his experience?
6. What is the meaning behind Spivey’s (or is it really Weaver’s) final remark to the
protagonist on page 127?
“The Loons”
1. How would you describe Piquette’s behaviour during her stay with Vanessa’s
family at the lake?
2. What reasons might Piquette have for behaving as she does with Vanessa and her
family at the lake? Explain, using as much specific evidence from the story as
possible.
3. Is Vanessa’s own behaviour at the lake appropriate? How well does she
understand Piquette at this stage of their acquaintance?
4. How had Piquette changed over the four years following her visit with Vanessa’s
family? Why do you think she behaves as she does when she meets Vanessa?
5. How are the loons used as a symbol in the story? Pay close attention to Vanessa’s
final remarks.
“Father and Son”
1. Define archetype and apply its meaning to the story.
2. Describe the point of view (narration) of the story. Do you find it effective in the
way the story is told or distracting? Explain your answer.
3. There are several parallels between the father and son – identify 2 or 3 of them.
4. Compare the thoughts of the two characters to what each actually says.
5. Repetition is used in the first paragraph – how is it used and what is its purpose?
6. Write a theme statement for the story.