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Dancing with the Octopus Discussion Questions
Special thanks to
Bloomsbury
Publishing for providing these questions;
download a [pdf] version
here.
1. The memoir takes place
in Nebraska, Iowa, West Virginia, and England, among other
locations. What’s the importance of place in Harding’s story? How
has geography shaped her life, and how has she made homes, for
herself and loved ones, in different settings?
2. Harding’s father (Jim
Cackler) is a complex man. What adjectives would you use to describe
him? How would you describe his relationship with the protagonist
and her sisters?
3. Harding details years
of abuse at the hands of her mother (Kathleen Cackler). How did the
members of the author’s family cope with this abuse? What
adaptations did they develop to shield themselves and comfort
others?
4. Harding mentions, in
her epilogue, that she wants to “portray ‘victims’ realistically”
(372). Before, during, and after the attack, Harding demonstrates
remarkable resilience and agency. What does Harding gain from
recalling, corroborating, and writing down her experience?
5. Part of Harding’s
resilience is her ability to accept the help of others. How does her
husband Thomas support her? What tools and advice does Dr. H
provide?
6. Discuss the role race
plays in the narrative. How does Harding work serious considerations
of race into the story of her attack and its aftermath? How does
Charles Goodwin understand race to have informed his own
experiences?
7. Like Charles (Mr. K),
Harding’s mother has had significant challenges in life. How does
Kathleen explain away, or justify, her abuse of her children and
husband? How does Harding balance empathy for Kathleen with her own
traumatic memories of her mother’s violence?
8. What forms of support
does Harding find in the Omaha community, in the immediate aftermath
of her kidnapping and assault? And whom does she rely on when she
returns to Omaha as an adult?
9. How is the “dancing
octopus” introduced in the narrative? Whose creation is it? And when
Harding sees a real octopus, years later, what does she feel? With
whom does she share this second experience?
10. Jim eventually reveals
his own traumatic memories to Harding. What are these memories, and
how does he tell his story? What are the coping mechanisms and kinds
of fellowship–– productive and unproductive––Jim turns to as he
grows older?
11. How does Kathleen
respond to Jim’s death?
12. Who are Harding’s role
models? What lessons do they teach her?
13. Describe the book’s
narrative structure. Why do you think Harding chose to tell her
story this way? What insights does this structure make possible for
the reader?
14. On finishing the book,
do you feel that justice has been served–-for Harding, her siblings,
and others who were harmed? How have characters repaired, or tried
to repair, their relationships?
15. Which relationships
has Harding let go of or moved on from? And what are some of the
new, strong relationships she’s forged as an adult?
Further reading: Tara Westover, “Educated”; Rebecca Solnit, “Recollections of My Nonexistence”; Jeannette Walls,
“The Glass Castle”; Maya Angelou, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”; Garrard Conley, “Boy Erased”; T Kira Madden,
“Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls”.
Book a Speaker
Host a scholar listed on the Speakers Bureau of Humanities Nebraska. Apply
for a grant from Humanities Nebraska to finance your event. Public programs sponsored by not-for-profit organizations may be eligible for funding assistance from Humanities
Nebraska. See https://humanitiesnebraska.org/speaker-bureau-policies/ for details on their
Speaker's Bureau General Public Programs Eligibility requirements and for steps to book a speaker and to access application forms.
Playing Around with Words: Writing from the Plains
by Twyla Hansen
A flexible program consisting of a reading and discussion for a wide variety
of audiences, a writing workshop for beginning and seasoned writers, or a
combination of both. The workshop includes a combination of readings and guided
writing exercises for participants to generate their own poems or short prose.
The programs are audience/ participant-focused, interactive, and will allow time
for discussion. For middle school through adult.
Family Stories Into Literature: The Role of Gossip and Research in Fiction by Karen Gettert Shoemaker
This presentation focuses on the ways writers can use family stories and history to write literature. This presentation discusses the ways to excavate history, both our own and the world’s, as a way to finding the true stories only we can write. The program is available in both presentation format and writing workshop format. For adults.
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