Stages of Transition
At Stage 1, how do the girls act when they first arrive at St. Lucy’s?
They behave like wolves (snarling, scratching, unable to follow human customs).
Who is the narrator of the story?
Claudette
What are the epigraphs at the beginning of each stage?
Training-manual style quotes describing what should happen in each stage of assimilation.
What is the main theme of the story?
Identity and assimilation / Human identity vs. Wolf Identity
Finish the line: “I had just learned how to ___ my own plate.
Balance
What does it mean when a teacher asks a “text-based” question?
It means you must find your answer in the story, not just guess or use your opinion.
Which stage shows the girls beginning to imitate human customs, but still struggling?
Stage 2
Which sister adjusts the fastest to human society?
Jeanette
Why are the epigraphs important?
They set expectations for how the girls “should” progress.
What does Mirabella represent in the story?
Resistance to assimilation; holding onto original identity
Who says: “She couldn’t adapt… she’d never learn to adapt."
Claudette, about Mirabella
In Stage 1, the epigraph says that students will "explore their new environment." Give one example of how the new students explore their new school.
"Spraying...yellow streams."
"Overturning dresser drawers..."
What major conflict occurs for Claudette in Stage 3?
She struggles between her wolf instincts and learning human behaviors.
Which sister resists the change and stays closest to wolf identity?
Mirabella
Give one way the girls’ actual experiences differ from the epigraphs.
Stage 5 epigraph says girls can “move easily between cultures,” but Claudette cannot reconnect with her wolf family.
What does Jeanette represent in the story?
Full assimilation and leaving behind her original identity
What does Claudette mean when she says she told her “first human lie”?
That she is fully crossing into human identity
What is one thing Mirabella does that shows she doesn’t fit in?
Example: She rips up the church pews or chases the deer instead of acting like the other girls.
At Stage 4, what does Claudette manage to do that shows her progress?
She is able to dance with the Debutante Pack, showing control.
What role do the nuns play in the story?
They enforce assimilation into human culture.
What do the epigraphs suggest about assimilation in real life?
That it’s treated like a structured process, though it’s much messier in reality.
What theme is shown when Claudette lies for the first time?
Loss of innocence / transformation into human culture
Find the quotation that shows Claudette feels torn between worlds
“I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming wolf dreams or human dreams.”
Why does the author use the “5 Stages” in the story?
To show the steps the girls are supposed to follow — but also how real life doesn’t always match the rules.
By Stage 5, how has Claudette changed when she returns home?
She can act like a human, but feels alienated from her wolf family.
How does Claudette describe her place between Jeanette and Mirabella?
She sees herself as “in-between” — not fully human, not fully wolf.
How do the epigraphs add irony to the story?
They present a neat guide, but the girls’ experiences are painful, chaotic, and don’t match perfectly.
How does the story explore belonging and alienation?
Claudette no longer fully belongs in either world (human or wolf)
Why is the last line of the story significant?
It shows Claudette has assimilated enough to pass as human, but at the cost of her wolf identity and sense of belonging.
How can we tell Claudette has changed by the end of the story? Give 2 examples.
Example 1: She lies for the first time.
Example 2: She feels different from her wolf family when she goes home.
How does Claudette’s struggle between wolf and human identities reflect real-world struggles of cultural assimilation?
It mirrors immigrant, minority, or marginalized (indigenous people's / Native American) experiences of adapting to a dominant culture while losing part of their original identity.