Brown Girl, Brownstones

Compare and contrast Silla and Deighton. How are these two characters different? What are their motivations? How do these differences shape the outcomes of their lives?

Describe the cultural and historical context for the novel. What impact do these contexts have on the events of the novel?

Selina goes from being a ten-year-old at the start of the novel to being an eighteen-year-old at the end. How does she change over the course of the novel? What events and decisions cause her to change?

Discuss race and racism in the novel. How do the Barbadians and central characters experience racism? What impact does racism have on the lives of Barbadian and Barbadian-American characters?

The American Dream is the idea that anyone, including immigrants, can use hard work and education to achieve material prosperity and a better life for the next generation. Discuss if and how the novel calls into question the idea of the American Dream for immigrants.

Discuss the difference between the Barbadian immigrants’ experience of life in New York and the experience of African-Americans, such as Miss Thompson, in New York.

There are few white characters in the novel. Describe these characters and their impact in the novel. Why might Marshall have chosen to marginalize these characters?

Discuss the relationship between place and identity in the novel.