Discuss the dichotomization of women in the novel. How does the Madonna-Whore complex affect the women in the Gulden household? How does the struggle to break out of archetypal roles in literature compare / contrast the struggle both Kate and Ellen feel in the novel?

Kate Gulden is presented throughout the novel as a perfect mother and homemaker. Do you agree with this assessment of her character? Why or why not? How does this assessment simplify Kate's character? What have the repercussions of this simplification been on the relationships in Kate's life?

The Gulden parents have spent their whole lives playing favorites with their children, which often leads the children to feel they were living in each other's shadows. Who was George's favorite child and how did he show his favoritism? Who was Kate's favorite child, and how did her acts of favoritism compare / contrast...