The Signature of All Things, by Elizbeth Gilbert

 

Characters
Philadelphia	Tahiti – sailed November 1851	Holland – 1854 and beyond
Henry Whittaker Beatrix van Devender Alma (Plum) – born 1800 Polly > Prudence (Our Little Exquisite)   Hanneke de Groat   George Hawkes – publisher of botanical journals   Retta Snow - friend, married George   Author Dixon – tutor, Prudence’s husband   Ambrose Pike   Dick Yancey – ship captain	Reverend Wells Wife and daughter live in Cornwall   Sister Manu   Tomorrow Morning   Roger – dog   The Hiro Contingent	Dr. Dees van Devender – uncle   Roger - dog   Hortus Botanicus   Alma became Curator of Mosses   Alfred Russell Wallace   Charles Darwin

 

For Discussion:
NOTE: All pages are from the hardback edition of the novel.

1. How did Henry's early life shape him as an adult?  How did it shape his role as a husband and father?
2. Why do you think the family so readily took Prudence in as part of their family?  Was it reasonable to think that Alma would accept her as a sister immediately?
3. How did Alma feel when Prudence was nicknamed "Our Exquisite One?"  Was that fair to her?  Why did her parents not understand how hurtful that was?
4. Discuss how much was expected of Alma compared to Prudence.  After Beatrix died Alma took over her mother's role while "Prudence had no value to Henry."  (page 151)
5. Were you surprised when Alma turned the estate over to Prudence after Henry's death?  Why do you think she did that?
6. Were you surprised when Hanneke said to Alma, "But everyone has been careful with you already, Alma...Perhaps they have been careful with you for too long."  (page 319)  Did this feeling surprise you?  How had people been "careful" with Alma?  How had they not?
7. Why didn't Hanneke tell Alma about Prudence, George and Retta earlier in the story?  (page 315)  How would this knowledge have changed the story?
8. What do you think was the motivation behind Dixon and Prudence's chosen lifestyle?  Alma thought "There was something about Prudence's manner of living that looked, to Alma's eyes, suspiciously like pride, even vanity."  (page 187)  Do you think it is really a sacrifice if you boast about it?
9. Was there perhaps a connection between Prudence's early childhood and her adult life of chosen poverty and deprivation?
10. Do you think Alma should feel guilty about Ambrose's death?  Why or why not?
11. How did your opinion of Ambrose change as you read the book?
12. When Alma arrived in Tahiti all of her belongings were stolen, but no one seemed alarmed or concerned about getting them back for her.  Then some things mysteriously returned while other things were taken.  How would you feel if you lost all of your belongings?  How would you adapt to having nothing of your own that was special?
13. Was Tomorrow Morning a good or evil character?  Explain.
14. How can you explain the attachment between Uncle Dees and Roger?
15. Discuss Alma's Theory of Competitive Alteration.  Do you think she should have published it earlier?  Did you like Wallace's explanation of the "Prudence Problem" - that a supreme intelligence gave humans their minds, not natural selection (pages 493&494)?
16. Did you like the writing?  Discus in particular:

• The frequent inclusion of dates.  Did that help you follow along?
• Telling Henry's story "while we wait for the girl to grow up and catch our interest again."  (page 7)
• How the author speaks with the reader.  (see above quote)

*****
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