Vengeance

Revenge—Have you ever sought revenge against someone only to find the result unsatisfying? How can the desire for revenge consume a person, and what are the consequences of dwelling on the desire for vengeance? Which characters were driven by a desire for revenge? How did they resolve it? Did it bring them the results they expected?

Failure—Have you ever felt like you failed at something you’ve been assigned to do? How did you deal with it? What did you do differently when faced with your next task? Which characters struggle with feelings of failure? Are they justified in these feelings? How do their self-perceptions shape their characters?

Women’s Rights—How do the women in this book promote the safety all the women in their society? Why do Finola and Gwyneth hold such strong feelings? Are they justified? Are they able to reconcile these feelings with the need to live in harmony with men?  What can men and women do today to secure the respect and civility required for a happy society?

Persecution—Have you ever been persecuted because of who you are, your religion, or your ethnicity? What does the tolerance for persecution tell you about a society? How would you respond to the persecution that Gwyneth faces in this book? How can you respond to persecution from others in your everyday life?

Being Undervalued—York faces the constant problem that, because he is small for his age, everyone undervalues him. Is his response to this behavior positive? How is he able to work through his feelings of resentment? Have your abilities ever been underestimated due to a perceived weakness? If so, how did it make you feel?

Loss—Where do genocidal feelings and activities come from? How can loss and constant persecution make a people turn savage? Why does York’s mother react the way she does to the loss of her husband? How do York and Gwyneth respond to their losses? Are their responses healthy?