I KNOW AN OLD LADY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. I Know an Old Lady is set in the early 1970s. Do you think the story would have worked if it had been set in present day? Would it have been better?
2. What kind of person do you think Billy would have become if it had been his father who died instead of his mother? Would he have been as self-reliant? Would he have developed a relationship with Mrs. Baxter? Where would you see him in the future had his childhood been different?
3. For most of the story, Billy’s dad isn’t very likable. After he opens up to Billy, did your feelings toward him change? Did you see any justification for his behavior?
4. Billy’s dad is never given a name in the story. Do you find this significant?
5. How would Billy’s life have been different if his sister had stayed at home rather than going to live with their aunt and uncle?
6. Billy makes lists. They help him work through his feelings and problems. Did you like the addition of lists to the story? Did they help you better understand Billy?
7. Sometimes, Billy is very much a teenager - sneaking into the beer tent at the carnival, goofing off at the lake, hanging out at the drive-in. Other times, he’s mature beyond his years. In which skin did Billy seem more comfortable? Do you think that’s normal for a teenager, sort of ‘caught between two worlds?’ Or, did Billy’s circumstances make this inevitable?
8. Mrs. Baxter isn’t very nice to Billy when he first starts working for her. In fact, she’s as mean and crazy as Billy expects her to be. Gradually, their relationship changes, and so does her attitude toward him. Do you think Mrs. Baxter made a conscious decision to begin the summer with ‘tough love’ or do you think her attitude changed because Billy won her over? How much of a role do you think her Alzheimer’s played in her treatment of Billy?
9. Was Mrs. Baxter right in what she did to/for the four children? As she stated when she told her story to Billy, life was very different during the Great Depression, and she believed her actions were the only way to give those children a chance at a future. Do you think she should have been punished or jailed for her actions? Try to put yourself in Mrs. Baxter’s shoes in the 1930s. Would you have tried to help the children? How?
10. Do you agree with Billy’s decision to keep the information about Mrs. Baxter to himself, and to convince Joel to do the same, rather than going to the police and solving a decades-old mystery? Was it fair to the children (now adults) to keep the information to himself?
1. I Know an Old Lady is set in the early 1970s. Do you think the story would have worked if it had been set in present day? Would it have been better?
2. What kind of person do you think Billy would have become if it had been his father who died instead of his mother? Would he have been as self-reliant? Would he have developed a relationship with Mrs. Baxter? Where would you see him in the future had his childhood been different?
3. For most of the story, Billy’s dad isn’t very likable. After he opens up to Billy, did your feelings toward him change? Did you see any justification for his behavior?
4. Billy’s dad is never given a name in the story. Do you find this significant?
5. How would Billy’s life have been different if his sister had stayed at home rather than going to live with their aunt and uncle?
6. Billy makes lists. They help him work through his feelings and problems. Did you like the addition of lists to the story? Did they help you better understand Billy?
7. Sometimes, Billy is very much a teenager - sneaking into the beer tent at the carnival, goofing off at the lake, hanging out at the drive-in. Other times, he’s mature beyond his years. In which skin did Billy seem more comfortable? Do you think that’s normal for a teenager, sort of ‘caught between two worlds?’ Or, did Billy’s circumstances make this inevitable?
8. Mrs. Baxter isn’t very nice to Billy when he first starts working for her. In fact, she’s as mean and crazy as Billy expects her to be. Gradually, their relationship changes, and so does her attitude toward him. Do you think Mrs. Baxter made a conscious decision to begin the summer with ‘tough love’ or do you think her attitude changed because Billy won her over? How much of a role do you think her Alzheimer’s played in her treatment of Billy?
9. Was Mrs. Baxter right in what she did to/for the four children? As she stated when she told her story to Billy, life was very different during the Great Depression, and she believed her actions were the only way to give those children a chance at a future. Do you think she should have been punished or jailed for her actions? Try to put yourself in Mrs. Baxter’s shoes in the 1930s. Would you have tried to help the children? How?
10. Do you agree with Billy’s decision to keep the information about Mrs. Baxter to himself, and to convince Joel to do the same, rather than going to the police and solving a decades-old mystery? Was it fair to the children (now adults) to keep the information to himself?