The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club

What clues does the text contain as to the nature of the coming Roaring ’20s? How does it foreshadow that decade and its excesses?

George Santayana, a philosopher, once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (The Life of Reason, 1905). To what extent do you think the text supports this claim? Why or why not?

Klaus is a minor character, but his story is threaded throughout the narrative. Analyze his character’s contribution to the text and its meaning. What messages can readers take away from his character’s experiences and death?

Does Poppy’s eventual decision to marry Tom Morris seem like a surprise or more predictable, based on their characters’ personalities and interactions? Why or why not? How does this marriage form part of marriage as a symbol in the novel?

Simonson employs many allusions to historical or cultural people or phenomena throughout the text. Choose three, analyze them, and explain their effects in the novel.

Research the fight for Indian independence. How does this additional knowledge enhance your reading of the characters of Captain Kumar Pendra and Mr. Nag Basu? In what ways do their characters represent this pattern of social change?

Who benefits from the infantilization of women? Select three significant examples of this in the text, analyze each one, and connect them to a theme.

What is the importance of the novel’s setting, both in time and place? What is significant about the choice of a rural, seaside resort town? Do you think this is a realistic portrayal? Why or why not?