Discuss the importance of names and naming in the book.

Why does Ned Douglass choose to return to Louisiana? Was this a mistake or not?

What effect does Jane's conversion to religion have on her?

Why does Jane give up her dream of living free in the North to settle down in the south for the rest of her days?

What does the hoodoo Madame Gautier mean when she tells Miss Jane in the chapter "Man's Way" that "slavery made you barren" and that's why Joe must ride the horses to "prove he is a man"?

What do Miss Lilly, Mr. Hardy, and Mary Agnes have in common? Why are they important figures in the quarters?