52 pages • 1 hour read
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Looking for Jane takes place across a few different time periods. How do the societal expectations for women vary across these time periods? How do the main characters comply with or contend with those expectations?
What role do secrets play in the novel? What overall point does Marshall make about the impact of secrets on relationships? Cite examples.
Looking for Jane follows the progression of abortion rights in Canada over several decades. Research Roe v. Wade and discuss how the legal movement in Canada compares to abortion laws in the US. Would it significantly impact the plot of the novel if it were set in the US rather than in Canada?
Compare and contrast Nancy’s coming-of-age arc to Evelyn/Maggie’s. How does each character become more independent, and how do their circumstances shape their coming of age?
Looking for Jane considers bodily autonomy mostly through the lens of reproductive rights, but what other kinds of bodily autonomy does it touch on? Why, according to the novel, is control over one’s body so important?
Given that Nancy/Jane and Evelyn/Maggie knew each other well through their work with the Jane Network, Angela’s efforts to reunite mother and daughter are in some sense redundant. What is the effect of this irony?
St. Agnes’s Home for Unwed Mothers is a central setting in Looking for Jane. The home is later converted to St. Sebastian’s. What is the significance of this change? What does it mean that Sister Agatha ends up as a patient at St. Sebastian’s?
How does the novel explore self-identity? Consider how birth or parentage contributes to the characters’ sense of themselves. What actions do the characters take to change or control their identities?
Knowing that the “Evelyn” of most of the novel is actually Maggie, what role does the “real” Evelyn play? Does the novel suggest she receives any sort of justice at all, or is her story merely tragic?
What role do the novel’s male characters play? What does the novel have to say about fatherhood, as compared to motherhood?
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