Good Morning, Midnight

There are multiple interpretations of what happens to Sasha at the end of Good Morning, Midnight. Choose one interpretation. How does the text support this interpretation? What themes are emphasized through your specific interpretation?

Repetition features heavily in Rhys’s work. Provide one example of a motif that is repeated throughout the text. How does this motif develop? What does the repetition of this motif add to the meaning of the novel?

Most of Good Morning, Midnight is set in Paris. What impact does the setting of Paris have on the novel as a whole? Why does the novel need to be set in Paris?

Set in 1937, Good Morning, Midnight takes places in the period between the two World Wars. Why is this detail significant? How does this detail enhance one’s understanding of the novel’s greater themes?

Discuss Rhys’s organization of Good Morning, Midnight into four parts. Why does she organize the novel this way? What does each part represent, and how do they interact?

Sasha’s visit to Serge’s studio affects her greatly. Analyze the picture Sasha purchases. How do the details of this work connect to Sasha’s development as a character?

Rhys’s title was inspired by the Emily Dickinson poem “Good Morning—Midnight.” Read this epigraph. Why did Rhys choose this title for the work? How does the Dickinson poem contribute to the novel’s greater themes?

Mr. Blank is one of the first men we are introduced to through Sasha’s memories of her time in Paris. Though he is a minor character, discuss the significance of Mr. Blank. What does he represent? How does he enhance your understanding of the novel as a whole?