Do research on Greek tragic drama. Tragedies often contain moments of anagnoresis, which can be translated as "recognition" or "revelation." The tragic hero, after a long, figurative blindness, finally sees that he himself is to blame for wrongs in the world. Does this aspect of tragedy help explain the structure of the novel? Is the story a classic tragedy?

Cady begins with her family, and it seems as if her life experience is defined by the Sinclair family. Why and how do the Sinclairs play such an important role in her life? What makes them so distinct and so overwhelming?

From the outset, Cady speaks in a way that’s ironic. She says things that have more than one meaning, and the meanings double back and twist together in interesting ways. She does not suffer fools, yet she suffers pain. She says she likes such twists of meaning. Relate her ironic attitude to her tragic experience. How is irony an appropriate way of dealing with the huge losses that the tragic events of her life have forced on her? Irony allows one to talk about things in a very indirect way.