Seedfolks

In what ways does Fleischman explore stereotyping as a barrier to community building? Which characters stereotype, and which face stereotyping? What conditions are required to overcome stereotyping in the story, and what benefits do people discover when they let go of their preconceptions?

Fleischman’s novella alludes to many parables, or instructive tales. Where and how do these allusions appear? How does Fleischman change the source material? How do these allusions develop the novella’s themes?

How does the garden represent the broader community? What elements do both the garden and the community on Gibb Street share? In what ways is the act of tending a garden like tending the community?

Choose a character and identify the ways in which Fleischman characterizes them. What literary devices does he use?

Choose a character and discuss why they are drawn to the garden. What does the garden represent to them, and how does it help them face or overcome the internal or external conflicts with which they struggle?

Choose a motif and trace its development throughout the course of the novella. What meanings or themes does it connect with, and does its meaning change as the story progresses?

How does the multi-perspective nature of the story connect to its themes? What literary and structural elements does Fleischman rely on to tie the monologues together into a large story with a moral? What does the fragmented style add to the story?

In what ways does the novella depict both gardening and creating community as acts of faith? Does the novella present faith in religious terms, or can it be secular?