Review Questions: Chapter 27

 

1.      When Eppie is wheeled from the police station on a stretcher by paramedics, Andrew insists on remaining by her side, even though one of the paramedics initially tells him that he cannot ride in the ambulance with her.  How is Andrew's behavior here similar to that of another character who also refused to leave Eppie's side earlier in the novel?  What common personality traits do these two characters thus demonstrate?  How do these common traits contrast with other opposing traits that these two characters may have?

 

2.      During the demonstration in front of her father's house, Rachel experiences a profound change in the way she perceives her father.  What is the nature of this change? (i.e., what is it about her father that she now sees for the first time?)  Where is Rachel located at the time that she experiences this change?  What irony can be found in the fact that she is in this location?

 

3.      As Rachel leans over her stricken father to try to comfort him, she speaks to him in a way that is markedly different from her earlier manner of speaking to him.  What is the chief difference in her way of speaking?  What does she say to him repeatedly?  What does she encourage him to do?  How is this change in her manner further evidence of the change that has come over her, alluded to in the previous question above?

 

4.      At the height of his anger, Billy unleashes a diatribe against the other members of the protest group.  What is the fundamental criticism that he has towards them?  Despite the flaws inherent in his own methods, what do you think of Billy's complaint?  Does his point hold much validity for you?  Why or why not?

 

5.      During the protest, Officers Gardner and Caldwell take greatly differing approaches toward handling the situation which they confront.  Which officer's approach seems more appropriate to you?  Why is Caldwell not surprised by what he sees when he arrives on the scene?  Why does he think that "he should have been allowed to fire his weapon sooner"?  How much sooner do you think he imagines using his weapon?

 

6.      List as many similarities as you can between the protest which occurs in this chapter and the two previous episodes in the story in which planned public events go awry.  What common elements and conditions are present across these events?  How may these elements help to account for the turmoil in which all of these events ultimately end?

 

7.      What meaning is inherent in the title to this chapter?  What "freedom" is found by women here?