Taking us back and forth between Josephine and Lina's worlds, the narrator gives us an intimate look into the lives of both women. But how does Josephine feel towards Lu Anne? How does she perceive her role in Lu Anne's life?Ħ. She shares the most intimate moments of vulnerability with her when her illness is at its worst. She allows this slave, who gave birth to a boy fathered by her own husband, to remain in their home. Lu Anne Bell's relationship to Josephine is intense. But who else experiences a lack of freedom in this story? Do you think these characters achieve freedom by the close of the novel?ĥ. On an empty page in her favorite book, Grace Sparrow writes "who is free?" We know that Josephine, Lottie and the others at the Bell plantation are literally enslaved. What similarities do you find between these two women? What would each character be able to teach the other?Ĥ. Separated by more than two centuries, Lina and Josephine's characters never meet, but Conklin's narrator tells this story through each of their perspectives. As Lina reflects on her mother's artwork she wonders whether you can create family connections: "What is blood and what is decision?" What is your response?ģ. The definition of "family" is unclear in this story: Lina's mother is absent for all of her life, Josephine's son is fathered by her married master. As a servant in the Bell's home Josephine is literally "The House Girl." But how does this title also apply to Lina's character? What is the significance of Lina leaving her father's house at the close of the story?Ģ.
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