1. How does the initial meeting between Carson Fielding and Magnus Yarborough set the tone for the remainder of the book? Compare their initial meeting with their next meeting (p. 68-73) and their final meeting (p. 389-395).
2. Why does Earl Walks Alone go to the party on Tower Hill? Discuss what Ted Kills Many means when he says, “Apples don’t roll straight, but they roll. Right off the rez.”
3. What are some of the names that Earl uses to refer to himself in his imaginary documentary? Which of the names do you feel best fit Earl and why?
4. How do you feel about the way Carson deals with his grandfather’s death? What insight does this give into how Carson thinks and acts?
5. Willie’s father tells him before he leaves for his year in America, “You may find, though, that people are the same everywhere. That there is not the difference you think between us and them.” If, when he returned to Germany, Willie were to reflect on these words of his father, what would he conclude?
6. Who (or what) is Goat Man? Is Goat Man a real or imaginary creature? Defend your point of view from the story. What does Greggy Longwell think about Goat Man when he first hears about him? How does his thinking about Goat Man change?
7. What are Carson’s reasons for not wanting to train Magnus Yarborough’s horses? Why does he finally agree to train them? How does his decision to go against his basic rules for training horses turn out?
8. How do you feel about the development of the relationship between Carson Fielding and Rebecca Yarborough? Does it cross any boundaries into becoming an improper relationship? Would you say that their relationship justified Magnus’ behavior toward his cattle and Carson?
9. Relationships with fathers are a key element to the story. Discuss the relationship between Carson and his father, Charles; between Charles and his father Ves; between Willie and his father.
10. What about the relationship between Earl Walks Alone and his father Cyrus? Has his father impacted Earl’s life even though he is no longer alive? Give some examples.
11. Another father-son relationship that the book touches on is the one between the biblical characters of Abraham and Isaac. (p. 344 f.) How does this connect with the rest of the story?
12. What is Lebensborn? What role does it play in forming who Willie is? How does it affect who his father is?
13. Why does Carson object to selling the ranch? Why does his father Charles want to sell it? What position does Carson’s mother Marie take about selling the ranch? Why? Which character do you side with and why?
14. The Work of Wolves explores the role of silence in personal relationships and communities. It also looks at how silence is understood in a community. Find some examples from the story that illustrate these two points. What does Greggy Longwell mean when he says on p. 384, “This much silence, it ain’t as hard to read things, in some ways”?
15. The first mention of wolves in this book occurs on page 288. The chapter that shares the same name with the title of the book is only one sentence long. Why is the novel called The Work of Wolves?
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
