Why do you think that Lee decides, at the end of the novel, not to return to Yale but instead to go back and help Hank deliver logs to Wakonda Pacific? What does his decision say about the Stamper family and about Lee?

The Stamper men have a reputation for being fiercely independent. Yet Viv and Myra are equally independent in their own ways. How does the women’s independence differ from that of the Stamper men? How is it similar?

Choose one of the minor characters from the novel, like Rod, Ray, Simone, Draeger, or Eggleston. What does this character contribute to the novel? What key themes does this character illuminate?