These prompts can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before or after reading the novel.

Personal Response Prompt

Bullfighting is a central element of the novel, both for its plot and for its symbolism. The Spanish bullfight is largely stylized and performative. The bullfighter (matador) wears a beautiful suit made of silks and satins which are decorated with beading, sequins, and embroidery. The costume pays tribute to the sport’s long history and highlights the grace, athleticism, and skill of the matador. Bullfighting is violent and cruel (the bull is teased and then stabbed to death), but it can also be beautiful and balletic as the matador and the bull dance around each other in the ring. In Spanish culture, a matador symbolizes the pinnacle of masculinity.

Think of a cultural ritual you have seen or practiced yourself (attending Midnight Mass at Christmas, giving and receiving red envelopes for the Chinese New Year, hula dancing, wearing a costume for Halloween, playing a soccer game, observing Yom Kippur, praying, taking a yoga class, celebrating Diwali, etc.). Then, spend some time writing about it. What do you wear? What do you eat? What acts do you perform? What do you say, or sing, or chant? Are any of these things connected to some type of history (familial, or cultural, or religious)? Are they symbolic of anything? Why do you continue to practice this ritual?