The Good Daughter

Who or what do you think is the “good daughter” of the title and why? Support your answer with textual support.

Examine Slaughter’s use of literary references and allusions in the text, using examples to support your answer. Focus your answer either on one character’s voice or the narrative voice to closely analyze how that voice is supported and enhanced.

Rusty tells Sam that “there is value in forgiveness” (359). Do you think the novel supports this message? Argue why or why not by using textual evidence.

In the arraignment scene, the judge reveals sexist attitudes. How else does the novel critique prevailing attitudes and assumptions toward women?

Consider the book’s publication date of 2017 and the social context in the US around police brutality, corruption, and the withholding of evidence. Why do you think Slaughter highlighted these subjects at the time?

Consider the book’s presentation of Rusty’s attitude to Charlie’s rape in the light in 1989 and his change of heart since. How does the book examine changing social attitudes toward sexual violence between the 1980s and 2017?

Write a character sketch of Judith Heller Pinkman, focusing especially on her Christian beliefs and her disillusionment with the institution of marriage.

Sam calls Kelly a girl forced to the “bottom of the social pile” (347). Analyze how the novel addresses issues of social inequality and how this impacts disproportionately on women and girls. Support your answer with external research.