The following are discussion questions for our Week 1 readings, "Wildwood" by Junot Diaz and "Model's Assistant" by Alissa Nutting.
You don't have to answer all of them. Just get the conversation going!
Wildwood Discussion Questions:
Rebellion is a natural characteristic of maturation, but in "Wildwood," Lola has an especially rocky relationship with her mother. She says that her mother's "hold on me was stronger than love." What is it that binds Lola and her mother together, if not love?
"Wildwood" provides a thoroughly all-American cast of characters. What makes this cast all American? For example, in what ways is Lola the epitome of the American teen? Also, what do we think of Aldo? Why do you think he is the way that he is? What do you think initially attracted her to him?
How does Lola's relationship with her grandmother compare to her relationship with her mother? How does Lola get along in Santo Domingo (in the Dominican Republic)? By the end of the book, do you think there is a chance that Lola's relationship with her mother might improve after this dramatic change? Explain your reasoning using evidence from the text.
Author Junot Díaz received the MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” for his use of “raw, vernacular dialogue and spare, unsentimental prose to draw readers into the various and distinct worlds that immigrants must straddle.” Consider Díaz’s Narrative Voice of “Wildwood.” What do you notice about the narration style that makes it feel real? What do you notice about the dialogue between characters that makes it feel like real human beings talking to each other?
How does Díaz’s specific way of intermixing Spanish and English, as well as his frequent allusions (literary, musical, televisual, and biblical), help to flesh out the story’s central conflicts and/or theme(s)?
Model's Assistant Questions:
What was your first impression of the narrator in "Model's Assistant"? What was your first impression of Garla?
Did you find yourself sympathizing with, relating to, or annoyed by the narrator of "Model's Assistant"? Why?
What do you notice about the Narrative Voice in “Model’s Assistant”? What do you make of the type of imagery the narrator uses?
What do you make of Garla’s nonsense phrases, like “Cloud of vodka!”
What attracts the narrator to Garla and vice versa?
Is the narrator’s conflict external, internal, or both? Why doesn’t
WILDWOOD
This relationship reminded me of a friend who is the daughter of immigrants. She loves her mother fiercly, but also had similar battles in high school. Diaz perfectly struck the tension between familiar love and filial bonds as well as the bonds of duty and expectation, of abuse and broken attachments. My friend's experience gives me hope for Lola and her mother-- the friend does really well with her mom when they don't live together. The abuse stops, the relationship has room to breathe. While I don't think Lola and her mother will ever have a golden mother-daughter relationship (to answer 3), I do think there is hope for a mutual understanding, for room for love when the expectations and pressues are suspended. Living with Abuela has given Lola time to grow up a little as well, and it's given her more perspective on her mother. I love that the mother is the original rebel, having to move to the States after engaging in a disasterous relationship. As a mom who studies child psychology, I see so many truths in this story just at how people hurt others, how hurt people react, and how perception and expectations can create alternate relaties in our minds. MODEL'S ASSISTANT 6. I really see a lot of internal conflict. Even when she discusses external, it's all her perception-- she decided people are looking on her with disdain or disgust, but she never takes the time to talk to anyone or actually know their thoughts. Meanwhile, she is in conflict with what she wants-- does she want self-respect or to follow Garla around? Does she want a real job in the real world or to remain perpetually in model-land? The author puts off making decisions and lives in a limbo land, which makes her constantly unhappy and unfulfilled in her indecision.