The Indigo Girl

Analyze the novel’s portrayal of resistance movements and abolitionist sentiments. How do specific characters engage in acts of defiance or advocacy against enslavement, and what obstacles do they face in challenging the prevailing social order?

Choose three characters and analyze how they navigate challenges and adversities. What do their various responses reveal about the nature of human resilience and adaptation?

Compare and contrast Eliza and Sarah. How does the setting of colonial South Carolina influence the characters’ identities, relationships, and actions?

Examine Eliza’s friendships with Ben and with Charles Pinckney. How do these very different relationships evolve over the course of the novel, and how does the author contend with the different power dynamics imposed on these relationships?

Consider the impact of gender roles and familial responsibility on the ambitions of female characters. How do Eliza and Ann reconcile their personal dreams with the expectations placed on them?

Examine the role of education and knowledge dissemination in perpetuating or challenging the normalization of enslavement. How do Eliza’s and Ben’s differing levels of access to key information shape their understanding of the institution of enslavement?

Analyze the novel’s portrayal of female empowerment and agency. Choose at least three female characters and analyze their various tactics for navigating patriarchal structures to assert their independence and pursue their goals.

Choose one free character and one enslaved character and discuss the novel’s portrayal of racial hierarchy and discrimination. How do these characters navigate systems of privilege and oppression based on race, and what effects do such dynamics have on their lives?