What does it mean to be self-sufficient? What does this look like for different characters? How do they achieve it, and how do those with self-sufficiency use it to benefit themselves or others?

Which character is the most vulnerable and unable to defend themselves? Why? Which character is the least vulnerable and most able to defend themselves?

Intersectionality is a social theory that outlines how oppression and trauma can be different for each individual, based on their “intersecting” identities. For example, a woman may be more likely to deal with systemic oppression than a male, but a young disabled Latina woman may be far more likely than a wealthy middle-aged white woman to experience different forms of discrimination and oppression. In what ways are the female characters in this text exploited and oppressed, in comparison to male characters? How might this reality inform our understanding of “intersectionality” and “intersectional trauma”?