QUESTIONS
- How does Grenville's writing effectively convey the sights, the smells, the atmosphere of poverty?
- What are some examples of ways the wealthy and privileged in the London society of the late 1700's humiliate and oppress the already beaten down lower classes?
- What does the novel say about status and class privilege?
- When does William become hardened instead of hopeful? Why?
- Where does Sal's strength and determination come from?
- The novel is told exclusively from Thornhill's point of view. The author could have included other points of view, such as Sal's, Dick's, Blackwood's or the aborigines'. Why does Grenville choose his as the sole voice?
- On page 60: Sal says: "The thing that a man needed in Newgate…was a story. There must always be a story, she insisted…" In this case, she means a story to explain away his crime.
How does this idea of story translate to the broader sense of stories in people's lives? Must each person invent himself or herself through stories?
- The notion of stories appears at the end of the book, after the "parley-voo" at Blackwood's. What kind of stories are these?
- Why are the Thornhills obstinate in refusing to take advice from Blackwood and Mrs. Herring?
- Why does Thornhill refuse to stand up to Smasher? What is he afraid of?
- Why, for Thornhill, is "the one thing that brought him a measure of peace…to peer through the telescope"?
- At the end of the book, Thornhill has gained material wealth and status. What has he lost?
- What are the grostesque elements of Cobham Hall, Thornhill's estate?
- Thornhill could represent many things: an Everyman, an evil colonial invader, a heartless immoral individual, a man caught in the currents of history. How would you judge him?
Questions compiled by Suzanne Fisher (fishers@uhls.lib.ny.us)
November 7, 2007
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