Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Why don't we ever learn the narrator's name? What is the effect on the reader?
- What's up with the moths?
- Would the story be different if it were set in an Asian American community? Or an African American one? What effect do the Chicano cultural references have on the story?
- How would the story change if it were told from the point of view of one of the narrator's sisters? Or her grandmother?
- Why do you think this is a short story and not a novel? Is there enough material to stretch it out into chapters? What is the effect of keeping it down to only a few pages?
- What's the relationship between the violence the narrator experiences at home and the way she behaves at her grandmother's house?
- Based on the character's voice and style, what do you imagine she looks like? Draw a picture.