20 pages • 40 minutes read
Beth HenleyCrimes of the Heart
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1982A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
What is the role of secrets in each character’s life?
Babe is in a precarious legal position at the end of the play. What do you think will happen to her? What do you think should happen to her?
What does the hurricane represent for each of the characters?
What is the significance of food in Crimes of the Heart?
Why does Meg lie to Granddaddy, and why does Lenny resent the lies so badly?
Why is Babe so concerned about Willie Jay’s reputation?
What do you consider the biggest mistakes made, respectively, by Lenny, Babe, and Meg?
Discuss the role of mental illness in the play, and the challenges it presents for the Magrath family.
Why do you think Meg needed to convince herself that she wasn’t weak after her mother’s suicide?
Why do you think Babe shot Zackery? Discuss.
