Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani
Make complete sentences as
you answer questions with asterisk (*).
- In many respects, all of the Big Stone Gap books are about ÒsecretsÓ and the difference
between appearance and reality.
What is the secret that Ave MarieÕs mother Fiametta shares with her
in a letter after her death?
_______________ Why doesnÕt Fiametta tell her
daughter while she is alive?
____________________________________________________
- How does Jack MacChesney become a hero at the
mines? __________
____________________________________________________________
- Jack bungles his marriage proposal to Ave Marie,
but he wins her when he makes an extraordinary sacrifice so that she can
journey to Italy. What is
JackÕs sacrifice? ________________________
- *Explain why Ave Marie feels like an outsider, a ÒferrinerÓ as
Iva Lou would say.
- Who is Mario Schilpario? _______________________________
How is he
different from Fred Mulligan? ____________________
- *What is the meaning of Ave MarieÕs ÒDeep SleepÓ in the
book? Explain.
- What comic episode changes TheodoreÕs fate and
allows Trigiani to make a statement about Òchance versus choiceÓ?
________________
- *How does Trigiani ÒdeconstructÓ in her writing the typical
stereotypes that popular culture often associates with Italians and
Appalachians, two groups that are often considered ÒoutsidersÓ? Explain.