What kinds of life lessons did Emily learn from the Grimm’s fairy tales and nursery rhymes told to her by her father? Does his nickname for her, Miss Muffet, have any significance?
After the Civil War, what sorts of problems arose between freed slaves and more established African American people like Elizabeth Keckley, who had good jobs and more education?
Emily tells Maude that “People make lots of their own problems. Then they blame them on the war.” What sorts of problems were blamed on the war in this story?
Compare Johnny Surratt to Robert. What qualities did they share? How were they different from each other? Why did Emily feel torn between her loyalties to the two men?
How did the people of Washington, D.C., react when President Lincoln was assassinated? What actions and emotions followed this tragedy?
President Johnson refuses to consider pleas for Mary Surratt’s life, sending the message that “Mrs. Surratt kept the nest that hatched the eggs” in the plot to kill President Lincoln. Do you believe that Mrs. Surratt was fully aware of the plans being made in her home? Do you believe that she deserved to die for her crime?
Why did Dr. Bransby and his associates need to rob graves? Since studying bodies made Dr. Bransby a better doctor, do you think the grave robbing was worth the risk? Or is committing a crime such as grave robbing inexcusable?
Explain the symbolism of Marietta’s night-blooming flowers throughout this story.