author&character
What major literary award did Toni Morrison win in 1993?
Nobel Prize in Literature
Whose mother does the first sentence "My mother danced all night" refer to?
Twyla
In what season did they meet for the fourth time?
Autumn
What do Twyla and Roberta talk about at the end?
They talk about Maggie and what really happened to her.
What themes do Morrison’s novels often explore?
Explore African American identity and the legacy of slavery
Why did Twyla say she wanted to kill Maggie?
Because Maggie reminds him of his mother.
Why did they have some conflicts in their fourth meat?
They have opposing views on school bus policy
What emotion do both women feel at the end?
They both feel guilt and confusion about what happened to Maggie.
Who is Maggie in the story?
Maggie is a mute kitchen worker at the orphanage.
"My mother danced all night" It means what kind of person is Twyla’s mother?
someone living an unstable life at the bottom of society.
What is the main purpose of the school bus policy?
Racial strife
What do Twyla and Roberta realize in the ending?
They realize that their memories are uncertain and maybe wrong.
How are Twyla and Roberta different when they grow up?
Twyla becomes working-class, and Roberta lives a richer life.
Why doesn’t Roberta’s mother allow Roberta and Twyla to eat together?
religion/race
Is Maggie really a black?
No
Why is the truth about Maggie never revealed?
Morrison wants readers to question memory, guilt, and their own assumptions.
Where do Twyla and Roberta meet again as adults?
They meet again in places like a shopping mall and during a protest.
Why did Roberta and Twyla become friends?
Lonely, same age, and both sent to an orphanage by their mother.
When is their fifth meet,and what happened?
Christmas.Roberta explained why she lied to Twyla and said that it was Twyla who pushed Maggie. Twyla also comforted her and said that we were just children at that time.
What does the ending suggest about moral responsibility?
It shows that even if truth is unclear, people must face their guilt and take responsibility for the past.