The Gold Cadillac

Why does Taylor choose to make the conflict centered around a Cadillac instead of a house or other object? How does the car function as a symbol throughout the novel?

Review scenes in which ’lois interacts with one or both parents. Analyze her relationships with her parents and how they affect the novel. 

What purpose do the aunt and uncle characters serve? Why does Taylor include them throughout the novel? Describe their importance to the novel’s plot and themes.

The sense of place is an important element of the novel. Look at scenes where ’lois describes a particular place. Which places are most critical to her? Why? Use specific evidence to support your arguments.

In the conclusion of the novel, ’lois says she will remember the gold Cadillac and the drive forever. Why is this memory so significant for her? Analyze how the drive changes her perceptions and character.

Owning property, especially a home, is important to ’lois and her family. In what ways does this reflect larger social and economic events of the time? Analyze using external sources as well as evidence from the text.

Taylor wrote The Gold Cadillac as part of a larger body of work. Compare this novel to at least one of Taylor’s other texts, addressing similarities and differences of how characters and places are developed in each.

In many ways, The Gold Cadillac is a narrative of trauma. Analyze ’lois’s reaction to the trip to Mississippi in relation to therapeutic and psychological sources. How does she respond to this traumatic event, and why?