24 pages • 48 minutes read
Bernard MaclavertySecrets
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1977A 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
The historical context of the story offers insight into the international fallout from World War I. Before reading the letters, does the protagonist seem aware of the trauma that people like Aunt Mary and her lover experienced? Why or why not?
The protagonist feels significant guilt over reading Aunt Mary’s letters. What does this guilt stem from? Would he have still felt guilty if he had not been caught?
What role does the protagonist’s mother play in the story? How does MacLaverty characterize her, and why is this important?
The narration’s simple sentences reveal limited details regarding the setting and the characters. Discuss how this stylistic choice contributes to the story’s meaning, especially with regards to Secrets, Trauma, and the Limits of Emotional Intimacy.
The story explores the idea of masculine vulnerability. Why is this important to the story, and how might it reflect cultural shifts regarding openness to discussing emotions and mental health?
Is Great Aunt Mary an antagonist? Use the text to support your answer.
How does MacLaverty explore Love in the Face of Death? Choose a passage from the story and analyze how descriptions of that character’s internal thoughts show both sides of this theme.
The character of John is referred to later as Brother Benignus. What is the significance of his religious conversion/awakening in terms of the story’s overall meaning? How does it relate to the theme of Guilt and the Desire for Forgiveness?
Consider the soldier’s letters from the war. How does he exemplify the “Lost Generation”? What does he mean when he refers to “anger which has no direction” (32)?
At the end of the story, the mother burns the postcards and letters from Great Aunt Mary’s bureau. In the same scene, the protagonist cries and hopes for forgiveness from Aunt Mary. Compare and contrast each character’s grieving process and reflect on how their reactions fit within a patriarchal society. What is MacLaverty’s purpose in ending the story there?
