Short Story Collection Discussion Questions

Select a story to view the corresponding discussion questions.

Blue and Green

How the Widow Won the Deacon

Jeeves and the Hard-Boiled Egg

The Birthmark

The Cop and the Anthem

The Last Leaf

The Luck of Roaring Camp

The Man Upstairs

The Mouse

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Blue and Green

1. What do you believe Woolf is trying to contrast in her comparison of the two colors?
2. Blue can be construed as the tale of a fisherman catching a fish. What do you think Woolf was trying to convey from the viewpoint of the fish?
3. Have you ever gone fishing, and do you like to fish?

How the Widow Won the Deacon

1. Do you think the deacon was simply using the widow for her ability to judge the speed of his new horse?
2. Have you ever had a nemesis like Squire Hopkins?
3. Would you take a plunge into the snow as the widow did?

Jeeves and the Hard-Boiled Egg

1. Have you ever met anyone that could be considered a hard-boiled egg like Bicky?
2. Do you feel that Bicky was justified in blackmailing his uncle in order to attain funding?
3. Why do you think Jeeves is so loyal to Bertie? Have you ever worked for someone and become close friends with them?

The Birthmark

1. Do you feel that Aylmer's obsession with his work is what leads him to his desire to alter Georgiana's birthmark?
2. By the end of the story, do you feel that Aylmer regrets what he has done?
3. Is there anything about yourself that society might consider an imperfection, that is in fact an important part of who you are?

The Cop and the Anthem

1. If you were in the same position as Soapy, how would you try to deal with your predicament?
2. What do you feel is the most ironic attribute of Soapy's tale?
3. After Soapy is released from prison, do you think that he will go through with his aspirations to reform his life?

The Last Leaf

1. Has there been a time in your life that you have imagined an outcome to a dire situation was dependent on a random arbitrary factor?
2. Do you think that Behrman's paintings of the leaves contributed to Johnsy's recovery?
3. If Behrman wasn't attempting to help Johnsy, would he have avoided his fate?

The Luck of Roaring Camp

1. How might things have changed if the miners had chosen to send Sal's baby to the next town over?
2. If the miners weren't so skeptical about outsiders from the beginning, do you feel their fates may have changed?
3. Do you feel this story is a lesson about luck, desperation, or futility?

The Man Upstairs

1. Have you ever tried to write music?
2. Do you think that Bill's deceptions are appropriate, especially considering all the good he does for the other residents of the complex?
3. Do you think that Anette and Bill will ever marry, especially after his extensive ruse?

The Mouse

1. Did you, or anyone you know, live a sheltered life like Theodoric?
2. Do you feel that the mouse was a sort of matchmaker for the two on the train?
3. Have you ever been embarrassed in a situation only to find out later that there was no need to be?