Throughout the novel, the protagonists take action to create a community on Gibb Street. What factors and circumstances lead to isolation and separation both between the residents of Gibb Street and between their neighborhood and the rest of Cleveland? How does the garden allow them to transform the neighborhood into a community? How does the garden itself change over the course of the story? What does this story show readers about creating community in their own lives?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may find it helpful to revisit their answers to the pre-reading Short Answer questions and Personal Connection Prompt when considering this question. Besides providing students with a framework for thinking about community, such a comparison may also spark discussion about aspects of community building that the novella leaves unaddressed.