Study Questions
1. What does Marie respect about Sister Leopolda?

2. Why does Marie wish to escape her family reputation?

3. What is the attraction of joining the convent?

4. What is the cause of Marie's “stigmata”?

5. How does Sister Leopolda explain the wound to the other nuns?

6. What does Marie see that makes her stop reveling in being worshipped as a saint?

7. Why does Nector accuse Marie of stealing?

8. What does Marie show Nector that causes Nector to realize that no one will believe she forced him to have sex with her?

9. Where does Nector go with Marie?

10. Why does Nector fail to meet Lulu?

Answers
1. Marie respects Sister Leopolda's strength and determination.

2. The Lazarres are known as no-good drunks, and Marie wishes to be good.

3. Marie wants to best her nemesis, Sister Leopolda, in being good. By joining the convent, she thinks she can become better, more saint-like, and triumph. Also, she wants to escape her family name of Lazarre, which is widely known to be a dissolute and drunken white family. In addition to the possibility of sainthood, the convent seems to offer something good that cannot be denied by others.

4. Sister Leopolda stabs her in the palm with a fork. This leaves a bloody mark exactly where stigmata would be.

5. Sister Leopolda cannot confess her abuse of Marie, so she has claimed that the wound just appeared on Marie’s hand. The other nuns believe it is stigmata, one of the marks of a saint.

6. She sees how defeated and alone Sister Leopolda looks, and pities her.

7. She is running down the hill, away from the convent, and has a pillowcase marked with the name of the convent. Plus, she is from a disreputable family.

8. The pillowcase has hidden her bloody wound. This would make it nearly impossible for him to make the case that she physically forced him to have sex, particularly since she is a small, young girl.

9. Nector walks her home.

10. After meeting Marie, Nector feels emotionally tied to her and wants to protect her, even though he also wants Lulu.