Heaven

How do secrets impact Marley’s relationship with her family and alter her perception of herself?

Contrast Bobby and Uncle Jack. How have their past choices shaped their lives, and how do they approach the role of fatherhood?

Analyze Uncle Jack’s earlier letters to Marley. How do his tone and stories foreshadow the fact that his connection to Marley is more complex than it first appears?

Marley does not ask Shoogy and Bobby about their pasts, reasoning that “the past doesn’t always make sense of the present” (26). What does this statement mean? Does it also hold true for other characters in the text, like Uncle Jack?

Explore the novel’s implicit connection between dreams and memory. How does Marley use dreams to understand and reconcile with the truth of her family and her identity?

Does the narrative condone, critique, or condemn Momma and Pops’s decision to keep Marley’s family history a secret for so long? Analyze at least three examples from the text to support your interpretation.

How does Marley see herself in Feather, and what is the significance of the young girl’s presence in the text?

Shoogy is a complex character who has a complicated relationship with her family. How does Marley’s perception of Shoogy and her family change as Marley gains a more nuanced understanding of family dynamics?