Review Questions: Chapter 28

 

1.      As Eppie lays in her hospital bed at the beginning of this chapter, she experiences a strange, dreamlike state.  What is it about this state that frightens her?  How does the description of this state relate to the real experiences that she has had that day?

 

2.      As Rachel sits outside her father's hospital room, she faces the doors to two adjacent rooms.  What is the difference between these two doors?  How do they symbolize the position in which Rachel finds herself at that moment?  Why does the empty bed in the first room "reflect the feelings within her"?

 

3.      At the same time, Rachel reflects on her relationship with her father over the years.  Which aspect of her feelings for her father does she accept as justified?  Which aspect does she reject as "false"?  Why does she think of her father as a "central star" and of herself as a "planet"?

 

4.      Consider the two confessions told in this chapter (i.e., Rachel's confession about serving as a godmother and Andrew's confession about the banyan tree's history.)  What similarities can be found in these two confessions?  Why does Andrew's revelation about the tree's origin have such a powerful effect on Rachel?  What might Rachel be referring to when she says "I think I understand"?

 

5.      When Rachel visits Eppie in her room, there are several indications that they are speaking to each other now as equals, more so than they have ever done before.  What indications do you notice in the text to attest to this fact?  How has Rachel changed to become more like Eppie?  What does Eppie do to show that she has become more like Rachel?  Which of these two characters would you say seems to have changed more significantly?  Why?

 

6.      What role does Rachel find herself playing when she encounters her mother in the waiting area of the hospital?  How does this new role serve to highlight the full circle of change that has come upon Rachel through the course of the story?