53 pages • 1 hour read
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What role does race play in the social dynamics of Belgrade Dormitory and Agatha’s relationships?
How does Agatha’s decision to secretly profile Millie and her residents affect the novel’s examination of who has the power to shape and disclose someone else’s story? What are the implications of Agatha’s fictionalization of these profiles?
In some ways, Millie’s relationship with Agatha feels more “adult” than her previous crushes. However, their inequalities also emphasize Millie’s relative youth. How does Millie’s relationship with Agatha shape her journey through The Complexities of New Adulthood?
Agatha contrasts Millie and Robin through their differing attitudes towards money. What role does money play in Agatha and Millie’s relationship? How do money and social class contribute to their imbalanced power dynamic?
Analyze the dynamics of mother-daughter relationships depicted in the novel. How do Millie’s and Kennedy’s relationships with their mothers drive their character arcs?
Consider Kennedy’s interest in the therapeutic possibilities of nonfiction writing. How do Kennedy and Agatha’s understandings of the role of writing differ, and how are they similar?
Analyze Millie’s relationships with the other RAs and the resident director, Josh. How do these characters shape her narrative arc?
Analyze the motif of eavesdropping. Why do characters eavesdrop, and how do their differing motivations impact what they choose to do with the information they overhear? How does eavesdropping interact with the theme of Navigating the Social Dynamics of Communal Living?
Colette and Agatha both advise Millie to stop being so nice all the time as a way of preventing her from suffering any further exploitation at work. Discuss this advice in the context of Joanie, who is the least liked among the resident assistants. How does she balance her likability with her responsibilities?
Agatha and Millie’s relationship is the novel’s central example of Crossing Personal and Professional Boundaries, but throughout the novel, all the primary characters cross boundaries in some way. Analyze an example of a character crossing a personal or professional boundary. How do the motivations and consequences of that incident compare with the motivations and consequences of Agatha and Millie’s relationship?