Dicey's a hard girl to get to know, which makes it all the more impressive that, by the end of the novel, she's racked up a fair few friends in Mina, Jeff, and even Mr. Lingerle. Throughout Dicey's Song, while she tries to drop friendship like a bad habit, folks like Mina push right back, and break down the barriers Dicey has walled around herself. And thanks to friends like Mina, Dicey learns that friendship really is all it's cracked up to be. After all, who doesn't want to be a part of a Mutual Admiration Society every now and then?
Questions About Friendship
- Dicey’s Song is full of characters who want friends but are, for one reason or another, afraid to have them. What do you think Dicey’s fears are? James’s? Mr. Lingerle’s?
- Why does Mina pursue Dicey’s friendship even after her popular African-American friends ask why she would want to be friends with a "honky"? What is it that Mina sees in Dicey?
- Why is it important to Dicey that other people know she doesn’t care about having friends? Do you really believe her when she says this?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Having friends is one more way for Dicey to become anchored to Crisfield and make it her home.
Dicey pushes friends away because she's afraid of getting hurt.