Characters
What is the name of the protagonist of the story?
Hiram
What is the setting for the story?
Greenwood, Mississippi
What was RC doing in the bushes outside Hiram’s house when we first meet RC in the story?
Spying on the Remington brothers who were dancing together next door in their underwear
Why does Hiram try to avoid fishing with RC?
Because he was upset when he saw him torture a fish
Why does Harlan want to leave the south?
He does not get along with grampa and he does not like the racist ugly attitudes of the south
Who is the protagonist "sweet" on? (he likes her)
Naomi Rydell
What does Grandpa do for a living?
Owns a farm
What did RC do to break up the dancing?
Threw a rock at the window and mooed at them and called them cows
What major event happened at the beginning of chapter 3?
Gramma died.
What secret does Naomi share with Hiram at the cemetery?
She goes to a bridge over the river and thinks about her mother. She offers to share it with Hiram.
Who does the protagonist live with for most of his younger years?
His grandparents
What did Hiram do that angered his grandfather when they were out visiting the fields one day?
Tried to help one of the black workers hoe the field because he wanted to help and show that he could do it.
What did Gramma give Hiram to give to RC’s sister Naomi?
6 ginersnap cookies as a treat
What did the neighbors do when the Remington brothers tried to approach grampa at the funeral?
They closed ranks and blocked them from having access to him
Where does Grandpa refuse to eat since his wife died?
In the kitchen
Who dances around the living room in their underwear in Chapter 2?
The Remington brothers
What word does Hirman’s dad dislike that results in him getting his mouth washed out with soap if he ever uses it?
Hate
What do we know about RC and Naomi’s family?
Very poor. Mom is dead, Naomi cannot go to school because she has to housekeep and take care of the little kids and dad drinks
How did the brothers describe Gramma to Hiram?
She was the best friend they had ever had and the queen of kindness
Who now keeps house for Grandpa?
Ruthanne, a black woman
What is the name of the protagonist's father?
Harlan
Name the 2 reasons why Hiram was living with Gramma and Grampa instead of his parents.
1. Dad was in the war (navy)
2. After the war, dad was in school getting his masters degree in Oxford, MS
What does Grandpa want to preserve?
The Old South and its way of life
Who else showed up at Gramma’s buriel?
Naomi
Where did Hiram go after he was told he and his parents were moving to Arizona and what promise did he make?
To the bridge Naomi told him about
That he would be back