Call Your Daughter Home

Research Southern Gothic literature and discuss how this novel fits into the genre. What role do ghosts, spirits, and omens play in the novel?

Silence is enforced in a number of different ways by various characters. How does Alvin compel Gertrude’s silence? How does Edwin do the same to his children? How are the citizens of Branchville complicit in such activities?

Nelly is the only Indigenous character in the novel. How does the Indigenous community interact with the rest of Branchville society?

Retta finds herself in a complicated position relative to the white and Black citizens of Branchville. Describe her dilemma. What conclusion does she reach about the value of truth by the end of the story?

Branchville might be seen not as a single community but as a cluster of subcommunities. Identify these groups and characterize them. What do they share in common? What differentiates them from each other?

Descriptions of clothing feature frequently in the story. What does clothing say about a person’s social standing? What moral judgment attaches to those who do not appear presentable to society?

What is Annie’s opinion of herself at the beginning of the novel? How does she view herself by the end of the novel? What motivates her hunger strike, and what ends it?

Research the Boll Weevil Infestation of 1915. What were its socioeconomic consequences in the South? How does Branchville exemplify these difficulties?