The Reckoning

How do Liza and Pete embody the racism of the time? How do Joel and Stella exhibit their parents’ racism, if at all? Use examples from the text to support your argument.

Explore the ways in which the characters are influenced by racism—both their internal racism and that of the society in which they live.

Liza is confronted with an impossible situation when she becomes pregnant. Consider the ways in which sexism influences Liza’s life. How does she defy and/or succumb to the restrictions laid on women of her time?

How does Part 2 operate within the overall narrative? In what ways does the story stand with and without Pete’s recounting of his time at war? How would the story be different if Part 2 were removed?

How does the novel’s theme of Family, Legacy, and Tradition motivate Liza and Pete? What would have changed if this theme were not incorporated throughout the novel? How does the theme affect Joel and Stella?

Compare/contrast the Justification Narrative with another type of mystery—the whodunit, or the how-catch-em. Do you find the Justification Narrative as satisfying as other forms? Why or why not?

Discuss the tragic arc of the story. How do the social conditions of the time contribute to Liza and Pete's choices?

Discuss the practice of capital punishment. Are there circumstances under which it is justified?