51 pages • 1 hour read
Loreth Anne WhiteThe Maid's Diary
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Do you think the novel’s moral message about forms of justice is clear or ambiguous? Why, and how is this message manifested?
Do you think Daisy is presented in the novel as more of a perpetrator or more of a victim? Explain why you think this by drawing on textual evidence.
In Chapter 53, Jon imagines what his colleagues think of him. Adopting the voice of a colleague, write a description of Jon, his character, behavior, and motivations.
Compare Boon’s descriptions of Kit with her diary narrative. In what ways does his narrative challenge and complicate your reading of hers?
Kit says that no one is a completely reliable narrator. Can her diary be trusted to tell a true story? What purpose does it serve in driving the plot?
Analyze the character role of Beulah Brown. How does this character inform the novel’s presentation of reputation, appearances, and social perception?
Kit adopts many personas in the novel. Choose three of these and describe them. What parts of her personality and experience do you think they express?
How does the novel critique the use of power and money as a means to perpetuate injustice?
Consider the novel’s presentation of male and female characters and the issues of gender-based violence and pejorative attitudes. Does the novel present men or women as having the most responsibility for misogyny and its prevention?
The novel includes numerous examples of parenthood. What does the narrative have to say about parents, their roles, and responsibilities?
