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Consider other historical figures who have been unjustly committed to psychiatric facilities against their will, whether on the grounds of mental health perceptions, subjected to imprisonment for their religious or political beliefs, or wrongfully convicted of a crime. What character traits do they share with Elizabeth? How do they differ from her? How did their time and place (country, state, city) impact their circumstances, how they were treated by those in power, and whether or not they were released?
In what ways was Elizabeth particularly astute, and in what ways was she sometimes naive? What areas tended to cause particular “blind spots” for her, and how did she navigate them? What were Elizabeth’s weaknesses?
How do you perceive Elizabeth’s relationship with McFarland? What elements were most puzzling to you? How did Elizabeth see McFarland’s role, and did he live up to her expectations of it? How did McFarland expect Elizabeth to act, and how did she continue to prove unpredictable to him?
What surprising elements emerged in Elizabeth’s “insanity” trial that you did not anticipate? Did you expect that Elizabeth would be declared “sane”? Whose testimony was the most compelling in your opinion? Whose was the most damning?
Elizabeth decided she didn’t want to work or cooperate with other women’s and human rights groups. Do you think this was the right decision? Why did she choose to act mostly on her own in collaborating with lawmakers? What do you think she might have accomplished if she had worked with other advocacy groups? Do you think it would have helped or hindered her progress?
In the over 150 years since Elizabeth was forcibly incarcerated at Jacksonville, what has changed with respect to laws governing women’s bodily autonomy and their ability to make decisions for themselves? What remains the same? What happens when a woman’s opinions threaten a man’s ability to impose his will on her? What aspects of 21st-century culture might be considered to resemble this? How does religion play a role?
Discuss relationships between women that exist in The Woman They Could Not Silence. How are these relationships sources of strength, hope, and community? What do these women gain from the specific elements of each relationship? Consider Elizabeth’s relationships with her friends at home, her friends at the “asylum,” both patients and attendants, her relationship with her daughter, and her relationship with her cousin Angeline.
What is your impression of Andrew McFarland? What kind of person do you think he is, by the standards of his own time period and those of the 21st century? What do you think influenced his attitudes and decisions? What aspects of his personal life reveal potential connections with his professional flaws?
After all that he had done to try to destroy her life and her happiness, why do you think Elizabeth allowed Theophilus to rejoin their family to the extent that she did? Do you think her religion played a part in her choice? How did her relationship with the children factor in?
What do you think Elizabeth felt when Libby began to display symptoms of mental illness? What do you think her greatest concerns and fears might have been? Why was it so important for Elizabeth to care for Libby herself?
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