Answer for: Why do you think Rowson felt it necessary to include the final chapter?: Rowson included the last chapter of the book to respond to a question posed by a "reader" on page 99.  This reader points out that Charlotte is held up as an object of terror, to prevent us from falling into guilty errors.  But does not La Rue triumph in her shame?  From this the reader asks "What then is the moral you would inculcate?"  In the last chapter of the book, we experience the downfall of the "universal favourite," Mrs. Crayton (pg. 100).  Even though Mrs. Crayton seemed to live a perfect life, she ultimately fell due to her moral indecency.

Answer for: Why do you think Rowson felt it necessary to include the final chapter?:  Rowson includes the last chapter of this book to illustrate that one bad turn does not merit another.  Charlotte's parents take pity on the poor Mrs. Crayton, even after she contributed to the destruction and death of their daughter.  The Temples personify all of the moral lessons that Rowson wants her readers to attain.  Among these are humanity, pity (119), compassion, kindness, and forgiveness.  She wants to show readers the better half of human nature, after spending much of the novel dwelling on negative characteristics like vice, immorality, and deceit.  And finally, LaRue gets what she deserves in the end.

Week Three

Answer for: Why might Monk include a Character like Mad Jane Ray?:  The character Jane Ray embodies Monk's inner desires.  For instance, when Monk first hears of the "most heinous and detestable crimes" (178) performed by the church, she wishes to defy them all and leave right then, but is convinced that she is wrong (179).  Jane Ray represents this inner desire of defiance.  This is shown in her name, for when she entered the convent, she refused to take a "new name" and "kept her own" (footnote: 179).  Another example is Monk's desire to know the contents of the Mother Superior's books.  However, Monk "never dared touch one of them" whereas Jane Ray was "well acquainted with them" (198).

Answer for: What role does eating play in Quaker City so far? What thematic significance might this have? : In Quaker City eating is consistently associated with vice.  The opening paragraph (pg.292) makes a neat comparison between good and evil, gluttony and conservation; " 'Shall we elevate the devil...or shall we subside quietly to our homes?...brandy and oysters, or quilts and featherbeds?' "  Alcohol permeates the minds of party-goers in Monk Hall (pg. 330), Luke Harvey drinks brandy, lemon, and sugar while planning his revenge on the woman who scorned him (pg. 314), and Devil-Bug attempts to use food to lure Byrnewood to his death (pg. 375).  The message is that over-indulgences such as rich food lead to immorality.

Answer for: What purpose might chapter VIII play in this tale?:  Chapter VIII could be included in Awful Disclosures for a number of  reasons.  First of all, Monk obviously wanted readers to believe her tale, and she might have gone into such detail about the innards of  the convent to reinforce her authority on the subject.  She may also have intended to attack the word of the priests in the Catholic Church and change the public opinion about their "devoutness."  She clearly states on page 181 that the priests who read her tale will deny her knowledge, yet they will know the truth.

Week Four

Answer for: What do you think that Stowe is attempting to do in using the words "humanity" and "humane" so many times in the first chapter of Uncle Tom's Cabin?:  Stowe stresses the importance of "humanity" in this chapter to draw attention to the contrasting difference between Haley and Mr.Shelby.  Both men claim that they are humane, yet the contrast between the two is glaring.  Mr.Shelby is reluctant to part with Eliza and Harry because he genuinely cares for them.  Haley, on the other hand, only pretends to have an interest in their well-being.  Haley gloats to Shelby, "It's always best to do the humane thing, sir; that's been my experience" (5). Stowe is trying to convey to the reader the absurdity in mentioning "humanity" when discussing slavery.  There is absolutely nothing humane about slavery.

Answer for: What do you think Stowe is attempting to do in using the words "humanity" and "humane" so many times in the first chapter of Uncle Tom's Cabin? : Stowe uses the words "humanity" and "humane" to present a stark contrast between real humanity and the skewed idea of "humanity" that has been adopted by those involved in slave trade (and actually the public who pat themselves on the back for empty rhetoric regarding slavery).  Stowe writes of how "humanity comes out in a variety of strange forms now-a-days" (p. 6) as a sarcastic commentary of how people believe they are so kind in providing false dignity to the "niggers," when really they are part of (or endorse) something truly horrific.

Answer for: What do you think Stowe is attempting to do in using the words "humanity" and "humane" so many times in the first chapter of
Uncle Tom's Cabin? : Stowe uses the words "humane" and "humanity" to reveal the connection between money and values.  She shows the irony
of the men selling slaves for profit yet thinking they are humane for treating them decently.  After Haley's speech on page 6, Stowe points
out that "humanity comes out in a variety of strange forms."  The only reason Haley won't damage the slaves is because the better they
are, the more value they have, which means more money for him.  Haley states that "humanity...is the great pillar of my management."
Wasting money would be inhumane while profit is the pinnacle of humanity.

Week Five

Answer for: How do you see money function in this section?   What does its use signal about both characters and the society in which they live?: The characters in this book can be divided into two categories, those who are a slave to money and those who are master over it.   This is often a case of inversion.   For example, Mr. Shelby, the owner of the plantation and a gentleman, is forced to sell Tom and Harry because of his debts.   Whereas Tom, when offered money, refuses because it cannot bring happiness or what he wants most, which is to stay with his family (p 87).   George is an example of how important money is in society as a whole.   Money and what it can buy are his means to freedom (p 98).

Answer for: What differing versions and manifestations of  Christianity do you see in the book? Why might Stowe expose us to this variety? : Stowe introduces the reader to different takes on Christianity  in Uncle Tom's Cabin so that the reader may understand how people of that time used and manipulated religion and the Bible in order to feel O.K. about their actions. Countless characters, especially on the boat, use Bible passages as a loophole for their obviously flawed morals. Even a clergyman tries to justify slavery by using scripture when he says "Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be." (107) Stowe uses Uncle Tom (and his honest reflections on Bible passages and his constant "turning the other cheek") as the ideal Christian image and allows the reader to compare his seemingly true Christianity to the other flawed ones introduced.

Week Six

Answer for: Why might Stowe think it important to have the young George Shelby show up at Legree's plantation?: Although Tom died a horrible death because he was sold from the Shelby plantation, Stowe wanted to show that true Christians would not hold grudges.  She showed that Uncle Tom was not angry at the Shelbys, in fact, he "loves every creatur everywhar!" (363)  When George showed up at the Legree plantation, it was a last chance for Tom to forgive the Shelbys.  It was also a way of showing that the Shelbys were good people, because they kept their word and tried to buy Tom back.  George's appearance at the plantation was a way of showing that Christians keep their word and forgive each other.

Answer for: What added meaning does the book's title have after reading Chapter XLIV?: On page 380 of her novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe tells her now freed slaves, "Think of your freedom every time you see Uncle Tom's Cabin; and be as honest and faithful and Christian as he was." Uncle Tom, his cabin, his family, and everything associated with his cabin stands as the symbol of true faith and goodness, while the piety of the rest of the world wavers. With these words, Stowe changes the meaning of the title from a setting in the novel to an exemplar of goodness and righteousness.

Answer for: Why do you think Stowe felt it necessary to reunite George and Eliza with their relations at the end of the novel? : At the end  of the novel, Stowe reunites George and Eliza with their family in part to give hope to readers after a story filled with death and pain,  but more to show an example of how faith in God will always bring good.  Stowe strongly pushes Christianity throughout the novel, and by bringing families back together after their years of torment, she illustrates how their strong beliefs and faith in the Lord managed to get them through.  Stowe describes the love that immediately flows through the family and quickly has them praying.  Even Cassy, who had felt she could not put faith in God, became a devout Christian upon being reunited with her family (Stowe, 373).

Week Seven

Answer for: What is the importance of Joe Morgan's return to being a contributing member of society as the novel ends?: In the beginning of the story, Morgan is a drunk and suffering from it; Slade is successful because he does not drink.  Morgan loses his daughter and his job because of his alcohol consumption, while Slade gains money and respect.  "Since the death of his [Morgan's] child, he has never taken a drop; he has remained sober ever since" (Arthur 747).  When Morgan learns his lesson of never drinking again, his character improves.  Each year that Slade's tavern is open, his reputation spirals downward.  This shows that alcohol destroys a person's morals and thus ruins their life.  These observations are ironic because the two men switch positions through the novel because of alcohol.

Answer for: If alcoholism is a disease- as T.S. Arthur would have us believe- what are his prescriptions for improved health in the novel?:  This novel obviously involves temperance. The narrator even blames Green's death on drinking. "A large portion of Green's angry pursuers, were excited by drink as well as indignation, and I am very sure, that but for the maddening effects of liquor, the fatal shot would have never been fired" (pg 728). One solution to stopping such drinking arises in a discussion on page 732. Sam, the hostler, knows drinking will ruin him, but finds the temptation too great. The narrator tells him he can avoid temptation by working and voting for anti-liquor laws. These were probably Arthur's solutions as well.

Answer for: What role does parenthood play in this story?: The relationships between parents and their children are constantly jeopardized by alcoholism.  The narrator sees a "trembling, heart-sick mother, in search of an erring son," (706) who knows that drinking will ruin her son.  The most serious fault of parenting portrayed in the story is failure to teach temperance to one's children: Judge Hammond encourages his son and the rest of the town to frequent the Sickle and Sheaf, Joe Morgan's alcoholism results in the death of his daughter, and Simon Slade, who committed the worst sin of all by raising his son in a bar, is murdered by that uneducated child.

Answer for: What do you make of the place of Joe Morgan as the novel ends?: As the novel ends, Joe Morgan is living in a small cottage the narrator notices on his trip.  He notes the cottage's tidy, well-kept appearance and says it "added to the air of taste and comfort that so peculiarly marked the dwelling"  (Arthur, 746).  The fact that the home was so respectable and inviting contradicts the way Joe Morgan first came into the story.  The use of this note of his house illustrates Arthur's purpose.  More specifically, it says to the reader, as well as other characters, that even if you have had trouble from drinking in the past, you can still turn your life around and live happily ever after.

Answer for: How does money and economics figure into the thematic development of this tale thus far?: Money and economics are the antagonist to the story's temperance protagonist.  The characters spending large amounts of money and making wild business ventures are also the ones who spend the most time at the tavern.  The men sacrifice morality and temperance for greed and hopes of more money.  Arthur says, "One might have thought . . .that Simon Slade was going to make every man's fortune in Cedarville.  But all that has been gained by a small advance in property, is a grain of sand to a mountain, compared with the fearful demoralization that has followed" (709).

Week Eight

No questions were assigned for this week.

Week Nine

Answer for: Where might one argue are homo-erotic overtones in this story?  Why include them?: Homo-erotic overtones occur mainly in the relationship of the Sheik and his servant, Gaston. Gaston is described as a "soft-footed, soft-spoken manservant," who is there to meet the every whim and need of his "hypocritical, oriental beast" of a master (65). These overtones are included to display that the Sheik possesses sexual power over all in his world, both women AND men.

Answer for: What motivates Diana's love for the Sheik?: Diana's love for the Sheik is motivated by the Sheik's animal nature and savagery.  As stated on page 133, "She loved him, loved him for his very brutality and superb animal strength."  The men before who had professed their love to Diana seemed weak in her eyes.  Arbuthnot, for example, was a tentative and weak man.  On page 7, he has his hands clasped between his knees and when he answers Diana's questions he "stammers."  A bold, assertive man would not be in such a defensive position and would speak with more poise.  The Sheik is the only man who has been able to meet and even surpass Diana's own strength and determination.  And for that reason, she loves him.

Week Ten

Answer for: Why put such an emphasis on gossip in the story?: Gossip is emphasized to tie everyone in the story together, and portray the town as a family since everyone knows everything about the others. The narrator says, "Small towns are notorious for their long memories and sharp tongues" (167).    Since Peyton Place is so small, people feel like privacy is not necessary, and people know the secrets that their neighbors hope to hide. I think this emphasis on gossip also shows how the residents of Peyton Place all long for acceptance, and try to gain it by appearing to know what's going on.

Answer for: What different kinds of architecture are found in Book I, and how might these different styles function symbolically within the narrative?: Metalious used architecture symbolically to represent the characters that dwelled there.  Leslie Harrington, for example, lives in the biggest house in Peyton Place.  His home is described as "imposing," which is very much like the man's personality (p. 20).  The fact that it is the biggest house yet only two people live there is also symbolic of how he puts forth an image that is larger than what he actually is.  Another example of the importance of architecture comes in the Cross family.  They live in a shack that is falling apart and made of walls so thin that "Allison could hear every word though the walls as clearly as if she had been in the same room" (p.55).  This is symbolic of how the Cross family is falling apart, held together by only the thinnest of walls.

Answer for: Why put such an emphasis on gossip in the story?: Metalious puts emphasis on gossip to prove a point about life in Peyton Place; the consequence of being talked about is the sole motivation for "doing the right thing." Constance is afraid that someone will discover her secret about Allison's father.  Her worst fear centers on "the voices of Peyton Place" (16).   Constance's fear of gossip is also apparent when she hears the children playing the kissing game at Allison's birthday party and thinks about Allison in bed with a man.  Instead of fearing the moral consequences of that situation, she fears that "she will get herself talked about" (50).

Answer for: Why Put Such an Emphasis on gossip in the story?: Gossip is important part of the storyline in Peyton Place. The second short chapter of the book presents men of Peyton Place gossiping about Kenny Stearns outside of the courthouse.  A part of the conversation contains the comment, "too bad Kenny don't have the same good luck with his wife as he has with plants" (3).  Ordinarily, men aren't the ones who are known for gossiping, but in this town everyone contributes to a bit of gossip every now and then.  Gossip is used often to convey the point that the people in the town during 1956 were dealing with racy issues behind closed doors. Nobody discussed these issues, such as sex, female power, abuse, in public, but these issues were known through gossip.  Metalious points out that gossip is what triggers this interest, while it hurts and destroys people at the same time.

Week Eleven

Answer for: What difference, if any, does it make that Samuel Peyton was an African-American?: Samuel Peyton being an African-American makes no difference in the book.  Clayton spells it out when he said: "'There's some that say  . . . that durin' the Civil War he was runnin' boats out of Portsmouth carryin' arms to the South . . . .  If Samuel's skin was a different color, I'd say he was a 'friggin' rebel.'  But Samuel was a nigger" (p.332).  Only for his actions in the Civil War was he called a "nigger", and no one in the town had ever made his race a factor.  The children never mentioned his race, only his castle, and his race is not known until Clayton points it out.

Answer for: What symbolic value does the carnival have in this section?: In a world full of exhausting cover-ups and in a time filled with nothing but tragedy, the carnival in Peyton Place is a break from the daily grind of the New England town. With the smoky haze, the town was hidden from view and the people of Peyton Place could, ironically, take a breath from the tiring life of hiding the truth. "It looked as though the people in the seats were disappearing into another world," a world far from the gossip of Mrs. Partridge and the pressure of Leslie Harrington (Metalious, 259). The carnival is a symbol of freedom from the fires, the suicides, and the lies.

Answer for: What do you make of the pus that runs in Nellie's veins?: The pus in Nellie Cross' veins alludes to the figurative pus that runs through Peyton Place. On the outside the small town of Peyton Place seems fine and happy enough, but when Metalious starts telling the reader about the horrible things that go on and the gossip that accompanies it, one realizes quickly that the true heart of the town is "slimy, like pus" (224). When looking beneath the surface of both Nellie and the town itself -- the reader finds the unexpected, disgusting life blood that keep both human and town "runnin' ... like a river" (228).

Week Twelve

Answer for: What major themes does Puzo introduce in the first chapter of the book?:  Puzo introduces themes of friendship and respect into the book with the first chapter.  The wedding reception is an opportunity to display friendship and respect towards the Don.  The Don values these virtues above all else.  In response to Amerigo Bonasera's request for murder, the Don replies, "And you do not ask with respect.  You do not offer your friendship" (31).  The Don does not address the moral sin of murder first, but is insulted because of the lack of friendship and respect offered by Bonasera.  The amount of respect and friendship involved in any situation influences every aspect of life.

Week Thirteen

Answer for: Why might Puzo tell us the terrible tale concerning Luca Brasi in this section?: The story told of Luca Brasi helps to show Michael's integration into the family.  In order to become fully incorporated in the family business Michael has to know the past relationships of his father, the Don, even though he not supposed to.  "Michael remembered his old curiosity about Brasi, and had the sudden intuition that this woman knew the story Hagen and Sonny had refused to tell him" (Puzo 344).  This gives way to the entrance of Albert Neri.  He is Michael's Luca Brasi and this shows that Neri's devotion to Michael is just like Luca Brasi's loyalty to the Don, and in this we see Michael becoming like the Don.

Answer for: Why might Puzo tell us the terrible tale concerning Luca Brasi in this section?:  By Puzo sharing this terrible tale concerning Luca Brasi, the true fierceness of a man who was already very feared comes to light. Filomena says, "When she saw Brasi she turned her head away in terror; the look of hatred on Brasi's evil face was the most frightening thing she had ever seen in her life" (345). Prior to this story, the reader may have questioned why the Don would have such a horrible person in his family. But after the truth is revealed, one understands that Don Corleone would want this man working for him rather than against him.