34 pages • 1 hour read
Gwendolyn BrooksMaud Martha
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1953A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
The opening chapter is titled as a description of Maud, but it becomes a description of Helen in comparison. How does this symbolize the relationship between the two sisters?
How are Maud and Paul good matches for one another? How are points of tension in their marriage foreshadowed in the novel?
What does Paul promise Maud in the early days of their relationship? Which promises does Paul keep, and which does he fail to deliver?
Paul acknowledges that fatherhood “is not exactly in my line” (54). Why does he still want to have children?
Chapter 23 features glimpses into the lives of the kitchenette neighbors. What comparisons and contrasts can be drawn between the everyday lives of the neighbors in the building? Who in the building struggles to get by, and who in the building is joyful?
What reasoning does Sonia offer for not addressing the racial slur in her salon? Why is Maud shocked to silence by Sonia’s lack of confrontation?
In the “millinery” chapter, the saleswoman agrees to Maud’s price but Maud still leaves without purchasing the hat. Why doesn’t Maud buy the hat? Why is the saleswoman so frustrated?
Near the end of the novel, Maud asserts that she has more than Helen does: a husband, a clean home, and a daughter. Why does Helen wish Maud had more things? What is the significance of the things Maud lists for herself?
What makes for a happy life in this novel? Which characters find happiness, and which do not?
Gwendolyn Brooks was a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet. Where do you see elements of poetic language throughout the narrative?
Related Titles
By Gwendolyn Brooks
