The St. Francis Book Group meets monthly, usually the last
Thursday evening of the month. Our reading is not necessarily heavily theological,
but does have some Christian life application. Watch the Forum for
discussion meeting details. Or for more information, contact Marty Lucas
at 821-2125,
The next book for the St. Francis Book Group is Gilead by Marilynne
Robinson.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER AS YOU READ
1. What was your perception of the narrator in the opening paragraphs?
In what ways did your understanding of him change throughout the novel?
Did John's own perception of his life seem to evolve as well?
2. Biblical references to Gilead (a region near the Jordan River) describe
its plants as having healing properties. The African American spiritual,
"There Is a Balm in Gilead" equates Jesus with this balm. According to
some sources, the Hebrew origin of the word simply means "rocky area."
Do these facts make Gilead an ironic or symbolically accurate title for
the novel?
3. The vision experienced by John's grandfather is a reminder that the
Christ he loves identifies utterly with the oppressed and afflicted, whom
he must therefore help to free. He is given his mission, like a biblical
prophet. This kind of vision was reported by many abolitionists, and they
acted upon it as he did. What guides John in discerning his own mission?
4. How does John seem to feel about his brother's atheism in retrospect?
What accounts for Edward's departure from the church? What enabled John
to retain his faith?
5. The rituals of communion and baptism provide many significant images
throughout the novel. What varied meanings do John and his parishioners
ascribe to them? What makes him courageous enough to see the sacred in
every aspect of life?
6. One of the most complex questions for John to address is the notion
of salvation—how it is defined, and how (or whether) God determines who
receives it. How do the novel's characters convey assorted possibilities
about this topic? What answers would you have given to the questions John
faces regarding the fate of souls and the nature of pain in the world?
7. Marilynne Robinson included several quotations from Scripture and
hymns; John expresses particular admiration for Isaac Watts, an eighteenth-century
English minister whose hymns were widely adopted by various Protestant
denominations. Do you believe that certain texts are divinely inspired?
What is the role of metaphor in communicating about spiritual matters?
8. Discuss the literary devices used in this novel, such as its epistolary
format, John's finely honed voice, and the absence of conventional chapter
breaks (save for a long pause before Jack's marriage is revealed). How
would you characterize Gilead's narrative structure?
9. What commentary does John offer about the differences between his
two wives? Do you agree with Jack when he calls John's marriage unconventional?
10. John describes numerous denominations in his community, including
Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Quakers, and Congregationalists.
What can you infer from the presence of such variety? Or does the prevalence
of Protestants mean that there is little religious variety in Gilead?
11. What might John think of current religious controversies in America?
In what ways are his worries and joys relevant to twenty-first-century
life?
12. John grapples mightily with his distrust of Jack. Do you believe
John writes honestly about the nature of that distrust? What issues contribute
to these struggles with his namesake?
13. Discuss the author's choice of setting for Gilead. Is there a difference
between the way religion manifests itself in small towns versus urban locales?
What did you discover about the history of Iowa's rural communities and
about the strain of radicalism in Midwestern history? Did it surprise you?
14. Abolition drew John's grandfather to the Midwest, and the novel
concludes at the dawn of the civil rights movement. In what ways does this
evolution of race relations mirror the changes John has witnessed in society
as a whole?
15. Is Gilead a microcosm for American society in general?
16.In his closing lines, John offers a sort of benediction to his son,
praying that he will "grow up a brave man in a brave country" and "find
a way to be useful." Do you predict a future in which his hope came true?
What do you imagine John experiences in his final sleep?
17. Robinson's beloved debut novel, Housekeeping, features a narrator
with a voice just as distinctive as John's. Do the longings conveyed in
Housekeeping and Gilead bear any resemblance to one another? How might
John have counseled Ruth?
http://www.picadorusa.com/rgg/files/031242440X.pdf
