Plot
Characters
Themes
Tone/Mood
Backround
100
How does Lily finally tell August the truth about her situations?
Lily went up to August's room with her mother's belongings . and told her everything.
100
Why does Lily feel nervous and shy around other people?
Because she has been abused by her father, T-Ray, for most of her life.
100
How does Lily find motherly love when she arrive in Tiburon?
Lily finds August and the Daughters of Mary who provide her with the motherly care that she's never had.
100
What mood does this quote evoke. "“He stepped toward me, raising the back of his hand like he might bring it down across my face. “You better watch your mouth." "Go ahead, try and hit me!" I yelled.”
The quote evokes a tense mood, while also showing the hate that Lily has.
100
How is the Civil Rights act of 1964 referenced in the novel?
ROsaleen see President Johnson signing the bill on t.v.
200
What causes Zach to change his attitude about the relationship between whites and blacks?
Zach was unjustly arrested when one of his friends threw a bottle at a white man.
200
What about Rosaleen's personality gets her into trouble with the three white men that send her to jail?
Rosaleen's bluntness and overconfidence are what made her get into trouble with the men.
200
How do the Daughters of Mary show that a family isn't necessarily made out of blood relation?
Lily looks up to the Daughters of Mary just like a child would look up to their own mothers.
200
Why would the author use a grim tone in this quote? "“That didn't happen, though, so we walked into the woods behind the wall, calling her name louder and louder till I could hear the hoarseness creeping into our throats, but not one of us would say, Something is terribly wrong.”
To show that something bad has happened to May.
200
How does the social norms of the 1960's work its way into the story?
Both Rosaleen and Zach experience racism in some form, and the social divide between whites and blacks are noticed when Lily first meets the sisters.
300
What happens when Lily gets close to touching the statue of Mary's heart for the first time?
June stops playing her cello, and denies Lily's chance to touch the heart. Lily then faints.
300
What did the suicide of May's twin sister, April, do to May?
Ever since, May has been dealing with depression.
300
How does Rosaleen and Zach experience racism?
Both Rosaleen and Zach are unjustly arrested and accused because of their interactions with with white people.
300
Why would the tone be informative in this quote? “Act like you know what you're doing, even if you don't.”
Because it is telling us how to act around bees.
300
What was May's wailing wall inspired from?
From the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.
400
How does T-Ray find Lily? And how does she react?
T-Ray finds Lily through the collect call that she used to talk to him earlier in the book. Lily is panicked and scared when he shows up.
400
Why does June feel closed off with her feelings?
Because her previous fiance left her at the alter at their wedding.
400
How does the hierarchy of bees relate to Lily's own life?
Bees require a queen to function properly, just like how Lily is very dependent on her mother. When the queen dies, bees usually have no idea what to do, and eventually die out. Lily has gone a long time without her mother, and is feeling the effects of not having a mother.
400
What is the mood in this quote, and how does it convey Lily's feelings towards Rosaleen? “"We should hurry on," I said, but she kept walking at her own slow pace.”
The mood is cautionary, and it shows that Lily is worried about Rosaleen because she cares about her.
400
What literary work does Lily reference when she wakes up on first day away from home next to the river?
"Walden Pond" by Henry David Thoreau
500
What does Lily eventually find out about who killed her mother?
That she herself killed her mother accidentally.
500
How did Zach's personality change after he got arrested?
Before his arrest, Zach took the world the way it was. Afterwards, he was determined to change it.
500
How does the religion of the Daughters of Mary help them?
Their religion helps them hold on to hope and to realize that things will get better.
500
How does the mood and tone vary throughout the novel?
The mood and tone go from joyful and happy to tense and distressing.
M
e
n
u